Tarte Flambée (french) Or Flammekueche (german)

Total Time: 4 hrs 25 mins Preparation Time: 4 hrs Cook Time: 25 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/4 cup moderately hot water, about 110 degrees
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 (1/4 ounce) package yeast
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup beer
• 6 tablespoons milk
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped (3 ounces)
• 1 cup creme fraiche
• 6 ounces soft cheese (fromage blanc)
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 pinches nutmeg
• 3 ounces bacon, chopped
• arugula
• lemon vinaigrette
• shaved gruyere or shaved parmesan cheese
• good quality olive, sliced (or chopped)
• sliced grape tomatoes or chopped roma tomato

Recipe

• 1 dough:.
• 2 mix the starter ingredients together in a small bowl, cover tightly, and set aside in a warm place for 30 minutes.
• 3 when the starter is light and bubbly, mix the beer and milk into the mixture.
• 4 put the flour and salt into a food processor, then, with the motor running, add the yeast mixture through the feeding tube. process the dough until it forms a ball. add very small amounts of additional flour or milk if necessary.
• 5 process the ball until it is smooth, elastic, and warm, about 45 seconds to 1 minute.
• 6 butter a medium-sized bowl, roll the ball around in the butter, then cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled. punch down and let rise a second time.
• 7 heat the oven to 450 degrees.
• 8 oil a 14 x 16 inch baking sheet. roll the dough until slightly smaller than the baking sheet. place it on the sheet.
• 9 alsatian tarte flambee:.
• 10 heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a nonstick skillet. add the onion and cook, stirring, over low heat for 5 minutes or until golden brown. let cool.
• 11 combine the crème fraîche, fromage blanc, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. add the cooled onion.
• 12 heat the remaining oil in the skillet and fry the bacon until lightly browned, stirring constantly. remove and drain through a strainer.
• 13 spread the onion mixture over the dough, leaving a very small raised rim all the way around, then dot with the bacon.
• 14 baking:.
• 15 bake for 20 minutes, or until the tart is lightly browned.
• 16 variation - arugula tarte flambee:.
• 17 instead of preparing the traditional alsatian topping, proceed with baking the crust. once the crust is baked, toss 2-3 handfuls of arugula with lemon vinaigrette. top with shaved gruyere, olives and tomato.