In the vast culinary landscape of French cuisine, the "alsatian bacon and onion tart" stands as a testament to the region's rich heritage and love for hearty, flavorful dishes. This iconic dish, known as "Tarte Flambée" or "Flammekueche" in its native tongue, embodies the essence of Alsatian gastronomy, where simple ingredients come together to create a symphony of taste. It's a dish that has been enjoyed for generations, passed down from one family to another, and has become an integral part of the region's cultural identity.
Check out the recipes below so you can choose the best recipe for yourself!
TARTE FLAMBEE (ALSATIAN BACON & ONION TART)
While this is a pizza almost everywhere else, in certain places on the German/French border, it goes by the totally dessert-sounding name of tarte flambée. Here we're using bacon, onions, and a creamy cheese mixture as toppings.
Provided by Chef John
Categories Meat and Poultry Recipes Pork Bacon Appetizers
Time 40m
Yield 4
Number Of Ingredients 8
Steps:
- Place bacon in a skillet and cook over medium-high heat until cooked but not crisp and fat has rendered out, about 8 minutes. Drain in a strainer; reserve the fat.
- Place skillet back over medium heat. Add sliced onions. Cook briefly just until they lose their raw edge and soften up slightly, 3 to 5 minutes. Add a teaspoon or 2 of bacon fat if pan seems too dry. Remove skillet from heat and allow to cool to room temperature.
- Mix fromage blanc, creme fraiche, nutmeg, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper together in a mixing bowl.
- Place 1 ball of pizza dough on a well-floured surface. Flatten and roll out to a 10- or 12-inch thin circle. Transfer to a cold cast iron pan. Heat over medium-high heat to pre-cook the bottom of the crust. As dough heats and bubbles appear, deflate them with the tines of a fork so crust ends up thin and crisp (not chewy). When bottom is nicely browned and just about to start getting charred, 5 to 7 minutes, remove from heat. Repeat with remaining dough.
- Spread a generous amount of cheese mixture over the crust. Top evenly with some onions and then the bacon. Broil 5 or 6 minutes until edges are browned and starting to lift. Repeat for remaining tartes.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 656.6 calories, Carbohydrate 71.7 g, Cholesterol 68 mg, Fat 26.9 g, Fiber 2.6 g, Protein 27.7 g, SaturatedFat 7.5 g, Sodium 1637.2 mg, Sugar 11.3 g
ONION AND BACON TART
Categories Onion Pork Appetizer Bake Bacon Fall Bon Appétit Peanut Free Tree Nut Free Soy Free
Yield Makes 6 servings
Number Of Ingredients 9
Steps:
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Sauté bacon in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat until slightly crisp. Drain all but 1 tablespoon bacon drippings from skillet. Add onions to bacon and sauté over medium heat until onions are very tender but not brown, about 20 minutes. Cool.
- Whisk egg, sour cream, salt, pepper, and nutmeg in large bowl to blend. Stir in cooled onion mixture.
- Roll pizza dough out on lightly floured surface to 13x10-inch rectangle. Transfer to baking sheet. Spread onion mixture over dough, leaving 1/2-inch plain border around edges. Sprinkle with caraway seeds.
- Bake tart until onion custard is set and crust is golden brown around edges and brown on bottom, about 25 minutes.
ALSATIAN ONION TART
This classic French regional tart of good Gruyère and "melted" onions, bound with a savory custard, is one of my favorites. For an interesting variation, brush the prebaked tart shell with a thin layer of Dijon mustard, or add 1 Tbs. of finely minced tarragon to the custard. Be sure to buy the best quality Gruyère.
Provided by Perla Meyers
Categories First course
Yield four for supper, eight as a starter.
Number Of Ingredients 10
Steps:
- Heat the oil and butter in a cast-iron or other heavy-based 10- to 12-inch skillet. Add the onions and sugar, season with salt and pepper, and sauté over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until lightly browned. Lower the heat and continue to cook the onions until very soft and evenly browned, stirring frequently, another 30 to 40 minutes; you may need to add a little more oil. When the onions are done, transfer them to a strainer and drain.
- Heat the oven to 375°F. If using a tart pan with a removable bottom, put it on a baking sheet. In a bowl, whisk the eggs and cream. Season with 3/4 tsp. salt, a scant 1/2 tsp. pepper, and the nutmeg. Add the drained onions and half of the cheese and blend thoroughly. Fill the prepared tart shell with the onions and custard. Top with the remaining cheese and bake until the tip of a knife comes out clean and the top of the tart is puffed and brown, 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool for at least 15 to 20 minutes before serving.
Nutrition Facts : ServingSize four for supper, eight as a starter., Calories 450 kcal, Fat 330 kcal, SaturatedFat 20 g, TransFat 37 g, Carbohydrate 23 g, Fiber 1 g, Protein 8 g, Cholesterol 180 mg, Sodium 450 mg, UnsaturatedFat 14 g
ALSACE ONION TART
For decades, the restaurant Lutèce-with chef André Soltner behind the stove-was the pinnacle of French cuisine in New York City. Soltner's Alsace onion tart, one of the best we've ever tasted, was the inspiration for this version.
Categories Egg Onion Appetizer Bake Dinner Lunch Bacon Spring Party Gourmet Peanut Free Tree Nut Free Soy Free No Sugar Added
Yield Makes 6 main-course or 10 first-course servings
Number Of Ingredients 19
Steps:
- Make pastry:
- Blend together flour, butter, shortening, and salt in a bowl with your fingertips or a pastry blender (or pulse in a food processor) just until most of mixture resembles coarse meal with some small (roughly pea-size) butter lumps. Drizzle evenly with 4 tablespoons ice water and gently stir with a fork (or pulse in processor) until incorporated.
- Squeeze a small handful: If it doesn't hold together, add more ice water, 1/2 tablespoon at a time, stirring (or pulsing) until just incorporated, then test again. (Do not overwork mixture, or pastry will be tough.)
- Turn out mixture onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 6 equal portions. With heel of your hand, smear each portion once or twice in a forward motion. Gather dough together with pastry scraper and press into a ball, then flatten into a disk. Chill dough, wrapped in plastic wrap, until firm, at least 1 hour.
- Roll out dough on a floured surface with a floured rolling pin into a 14-inch round and fit into tart pan. Trim excess dough, leaving a 1/2-inch overhang, then fold overhang over pastry and press against side to reinforce edge. Lightly prick bottom with a fork and chill until firm, about 30 minutes.
- Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 400°F.
- Line chilled shell with foil and fill with pie weights. Bake until pastry is set and pale golden along rim, 15 to 20 minutes. Carefully remove foil and weights and bake shell until golden all over, 10 to 15 minutes more. Transfer shell to a rack. (Leave oven on.)
- Prepare filling while shell bakes:
- Cook bacon in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until crisp, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer bacon with a slotted spatula to paper towels to drain and pour off bacon fat. Add butter to skillet and cook onions with 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper over moderate heat, stirring, until just wilted, about 2 minutes. Cover surface of onions with a round of parchment or wax paper (or cover skillet with a tight-fitting lid) and continue to cook, lifting parchment to stir frequently, until onions are very soft and pale golden, about 20 minutes. Stir in bacon, then remove from heat and cool 10 minutes.
- Whisk together crème fraîche, eggs, nutmeg, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl, then stir in onions.
- Fill and bake tart:
- Pour filling into tart shell, spreading onions evenly, and bake until filling is set and top is golden, 25 to 35 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.
FLAMMEKUECHE (TARTE FLAMBEE) - ALSATIAN BACON AND ONION TART
This version of the classic Alsatian tart was inspired by this recipe. Makes 2 large or 4 small tarts. While it's easy to grab two or more pieces of this delicious tart before blinking, you also might want to grab a glass of crisp white wine, preferably a Riesling from Alsace, or a clean, crisp beer to go with it. Like they do in France.
Provided by Denise Yennie
Number Of Ingredients 13
Steps:
- Preheat oven to 450°F. Fry bacon in a frying pan over high heat for 3 to 4 minutes to render the fat, but do not brown. Remove bacon from the pan and set aside. Drain all but 1 tbsp fat from the pan. Reduce heat to medium high. Add the sliced onions and sauté for 5 minutes, until just tender and translucent, but not brown. Set aside.
- Whisk flour and salt together in a bowl. Add the oil and water. Using a fork, stir until a ball forms that is cohesive and leaves the sides of the bowl clean. Knead in the bowl until smooth. It should be a soft pliable dough, not sticky. Add a little more flour if the dough is too loose or a little more water if the dough ball isn't coming together or is too stiff. Let set. You can also use a food processor. Place all ingredients except the water in the bowl of a food processor. Turn on and drizzle in the water until a smooth dough has formed.
- Meanwhile in another bowl, beat together the cream cheese, yogurt or sour cream, and nutmeg until smooth. Divide dough into 2 - 4 pieces. Working with 1 piece of dough at a time, on a floured surface roll out the dough as thin as possible (the shape of the dough does not matter) and place on a baking sheet or parchment-lined baking sheet (I just roll the dough directly on the parchment then slide it on the baking sheet). Repeat with the other half of the dough.
- Spread the dough with the cream cheese mixture then sprinkle on the bacon and onion. If desired sprinkle with a little Gruyere. Bake until the dough is crispy and the top is lightly browned, about 10 - 15 minutes. Let cool a couple of minutes before cutting and serving.
Nutrition Facts : ServingSize 1 g, Calories 374 kcal, Carbohydrate 36 g, Protein 9 g, Fat 21 g, SaturatedFat 6 g, Cholesterol 30 mg, Sodium 341 mg, Fiber 1 g, Sugar 1 g
ALSACE ONION TART (TARTE à L'OIGNON)
A savory onion tart that is perfect for a brunch or appetizer
Provided by Pat Nyswonger
Categories Appetizers
Time 1h45m
Number Of Ingredients 15
Steps:
- Blend flour and salt together in a large bowl. Cut in the butter using a pastry blender (or pulse in a food processor) just until most of mixture resembles coarse meal with some small (roughly pea-size) butter lumps. Mix the vinegar and 5 tablespoons of ice water together and drizzle evenly over the flour mixture and gently stir with a fork
- Squeeze a small handful: If it doesn't hold together, add more ice water, ½ tablespoon at a time, stirring (or pulsing) until just incorporated, then test again. (Do not overwork mixture, or pastry will be tough.)
- Turn out mixture onto a lightly floured surface. Gather dough together with pastry scraper and press into a ball, and then flatten into a disk. Chill dough, wrapped in plastic wrap, until firm, at least 1 hour.
- Roll out dough on a floured surface with a floured rolling pin into a 15-inch round and fit into a 11″ tart pan, lifting and gently pressing into the pan. Trim excess dough, leaving a ½-inch overhang, then fold overhang over pastry and press against side to reinforce edge. Lightly prick bottom with a fork and chill until firm, about 30 minutes. (If using a tart pan with a revomable bottom place the pan on a baking sheet when putting it into the oven).
- Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 400°F.
- Line chilled shell with foil and fill with pie weights. Bake until pastry is set and pale golden along rim, 15 to 20 minutes. Carefully remove foil and weights and bake shell until golden all over, 10 to 15 minutes more. Transfer baked shell to a rack to cool. (Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees)
- Place the bacon into a cold skillet, and cook over medium heat until browned. Remove bacon from skillet and drain on paper towels, reserve 4 tablespoons of the bacon fat.
- Add sliced onions to the skillet with the reserved bacon fat and cook onions with ¾ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper over moderate heat, stirring, until just wilted, about 2 minutes. Cover skillet with a lid and continue to cook, stirring frequently until onions are very soft and pale golden, about 20 minutes. Stir in bacon, then remove from heat and cool completely.
- Whisk together the cream, eggs and yolks, nutmeg, thyme, remaining ½ teaspoon salt, and remaining ½ teaspoon pepper in a large bowl, then stir in onions.
- Pour filling into tart shell, spreading onions evenly, sprinkle ½ cup of grated Gruyere cheese evenly over the top and bake until filling is set and top is golden, 40 to 50 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature
Nutrition Facts : Calories 193 calories, Carbohydrate 15 grams carbohydrates, Cholesterol 71 milligrams cholesterol, Fat 13 grams fat, Fiber 1 grams fiber, Protein 4 grams protein, SaturatedFat 8 grams saturated fat, ServingSize 1, Sodium 324 grams sodium, Sugar 3 grams sugar, TransFat 0 grams trans fat, UnsaturatedFat 4 grams unsaturated fat
Tips:
- For the best results, use high-quality bacon and onions. Thick-cut bacon will provide more flavor and texture to the tart.
- If you don't have a food processor, you can chop the onions by hand. However, a food processor will make the job much easier and faster.
- Be sure to cook the onions until they are soft and caramelized. This will bring out their natural sweetness and flavor.
- If you don't have a tart pan, you can use a pie pan instead. Just be sure to trim the excess dough around the edges.
- Serve the tart warm or at room temperature. It can be enjoyed as a main course or as a side dish.
Conclusion:
This Alsatian bacon and onion tart is a delicious and easy-to-make dish that is perfect for any occasion. The combination of bacon, onions, and cheese is sure to please everyone. So next time you're looking for a new recipe to try, give this tart a try. You won't be disappointed!
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