“This allows you to have the right texture”: our chef shares his secrets for making a flamekueche every time!

Flamkueche is an essential tarte flambée of Alsatian cuisine which is eaten very hot. This recipe is ideal especially in fall and winter since it is particularly comforting. Contrary to what you might think, it is also very easy to make. To make it, you will need smoked bacon, onions, cream, cottage cheese and a dough. In the real recipe, there are few ingredients but of very good quality. Chef Christophe has shared this preparation on video for you to try at home.

But before you get behind the stove, we’ll reveal the chef’s secrets to making this tarte flambée a perfect success!

The first thing to make is the dough. To do this, nothing could be simpler: just add a little oil to the flour to give it texture and a little body. Then a little salt. Add the water little by little. You will work the dough with your hands. “We will always start from the center outwards”.

Remember that the weight of water in the recipe will depend on your flour. It’s up to you to adjust the quantity to obtain a soft dough, not too liquid and not too hard. Don’t forget to wrap your dough in film afterwards so that it doesn’t dry out and put it in the fridge to let it rest for around 30 to 45 minutes.

Remove the stem side and root side of the onions so the slices separate easily when cut. Note, theflammekueche cooks very, very quickly. But, as we are not cooking the onions before, it is important to cut them as finely as possible so that they are perfectly cooked when they come out of the oven.

Then, take some cottage cheese and heavy cream: “it allows me to have the right texture, the right fat content and the creaminess that will go into my pie”. All you have to do is mix the two ingredients and season them. Don’t add too much salt though since you will later add the bacon which, itself, is a little salty.

To assemble, roll out your dough between two sheets of baking paper so as not to get flour everywhere. Then add the crème fraîche and fromage blanc mixture. The cream should not leak. However, during cooking, it will sink slightly, but everything will quickly seize thanks to the high temperature of the oven.

Now you add the onions then the smoked bacon. Then you bake at 270°C. “If your oven goes up to 300°C, that’s wonderful. You have to bet on the hottest possible, for cooking which will last between 7 and 10 minutes approximately”. And it is eaten very, very, very hot.

If yourflammekueche is too liquid, it may be due to your ingredients. Indeed, be careful when choosing your ingredients. There are very few but take good products: a 40% white cheese and a really thick cream. It is thanks to this that you will obtain something which will be both delicious and creamy. Now it’s your turn. Get to the kitchen!