Alsatian Flammekueche
The German French take on pizza, with bacon and onions. Perfect as an appetizer with a glass of crisp white wine or champagne.
Ingredients
- 16 oz ball of deli pizza dough or you can make your own
- 1 cup double smoked bacon cut into bite size pieces or lardons
- 1 cup fromage blanc (ask at a good deli or cheese monger) or yogurt cheese (labneh) See Notes below
- 1 cup creme fraiche See Notes below
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp cracked black pepper
- 2 cups thinly sliced yellow onion if you want, you can slightly cook them down to a golden hue first
- scallions, sliced thinly garnish
- finishng salt like Maldon
- finishing olive oil grassy or peppery is good!
Instructions
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Place pizza stone in the centre of oven and preheat oven to 450F. Allow 1 hour to heat through before baking. If not using a pizza stone, then place your baking sheet etc in the oven to get hot before you place the dough on it.
Let pizza dough come to room temperature (about 1 hour)
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Sauté the bacon for 3-5 minutes, till just crispy. If you want, you can add the onions at the end and gently warm them through to golden.
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In a medium bowl, combine the fromage blanc (or labneh) creme fraiche, egg yolk, nutmeg, salt and pepper, stirring till mixture is smooth.
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On a lightly floured surface, cut the pizza dough into quarters. Roll each into a 7x5 inch rectangle about 1/2 inch thick.
Place two onto a paddle or the back of a baking sheet dusted with cornmeal. Use the paddle or baking sheet to slide the two bases onto the baking stone. Bake for 3 minutes.
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Use tongs to return the half baked rectangles onto the paddle to remove from the oven. Repeat with the other two dough rectangles.
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Immediately layer the cheese mixture to a 1/4 inch thickness over each piece of partially baked dough. (any remaining cheese can be covered and stay in the fridge for a week)
Sprinkle yellow onion and bacon over the cheese.
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Bake, two at a time, until the cheese mixture is bubbling and the bacon and onion get more colour, about 2-3 minutes more.
Garnish with the scallion slices and some sea salt and finishing oil.
Recipe Notes
These can also be done on the grill. Grill one side of the dough till browned nicely. Remove and turn over. Place all the ingredients on the cooked side so that when it is returned to the grill, the bottom will cook through. You may need to oil the grill for each piece.
You can prepare your own labneh a day in advance by taking 1 1/4 cup of plain yogurt and placing it in a cheese cloth lined sieve and letting it drain for 24-36 hours. Add salt to taste.
1 cup creme fraiche: Take 1 cup of whipping cream and combine it with 2 tbsp buttermilk or kefir and leave it in a covered jar on the counter for at least 24-48 hours. Once thickened you can refrigerate.