Tarte flambée

Serves: 2

Tarte Flambée or Flammkuchen in German, is a speciality of Alsace and the Baden-Württemberg and Rheinland-Pfalz regions on the German-French border. It is composed of bread dough rolled out very thinly in the shape of a rectangle or oval, which is covered with fromage blanc or crème fraîche, thin-sliced onions and lardons.

Similar to an Italian pizza, the topping though is distinctively French and uses ingredients that are produced in the rich fertile lands in the Alsace.

Ingredients

For the pizza dough

• 250g strong plain flour 1 tsp dry yeast
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp sugar
• 150 ml hot water

For the topping

• 6 tbs fromage blanc
• 150g smoked bacon, cut into sticks
• 1 small red onion, finely sliced
• 125g gruyere or comté cheese, finely grated Salt and pepper
• Green salad, to serve

Directions

1Make the dough. Sift the flour into a bowl and stir in the yeast, salt and sugar.

2Gradually work in the hot water and mix together to form a soft dough. Transfer to a very lightly floured surface and knead for 5 minutes or until the dough is smooth. Return dough to the bowl, cover with cling film and leave to rise for 1 hour or until doubled in size.

3Preheat the oven to 220c/gas 7/fan-forced 200c. Place a large baking tray on the middle shelf to heat up.

4Tip​ t​he dough gently out onto a well floured surface and divide in half. One half at a time roll ​o​ut the dough to form a large round pizza base about 25cm across.

5Transfer to a sheet of baking paper and place on a large board or baking tray. Spread each base with the fromage blanc and scatter over the bacon, onion, grated cheese and a little salt and pepper.

6Carefully slide the dough onto the preheated baking sheet in the oven (it will remain on the sheet of baking paper) and bake for 10-15 minutes until puffed up and golden. Serve straight from the oven with a green salad.

This comes courtesy of Taste of France Issue Two. For more great recipes, food news and interviews with top chefs, buy your copy here!