Alsation Bacon & Onion Tart
One of the things I am always grateful for living here in the UK, is that I have spent the last twenty years living in a very close proximity to the European Continent, or "The Continent" as it is referred to here. When we lived down in Kent, we could be sitting at an ouside cafe in France enjoying a hot drink by mid morning, depending on how early we got up.
This was always really nice. We often went over to Calais and Bologne sur Mer for a day's shopping. There was a huge Carrefour in Calais, so we would go sight-seeing in Bologne, have lunch and then double back to Calais and load up on French goodies before catching the train through the Euro-tunnel back to England.
One time we went over with our friends Jo and Colin and spent a day traversing all down the coast line from Calais South-bound, stopping to have a picnic along the way. It was a lot of fun. Did you know the French are obsessed with any thing Egyptian? I discovered that on that particular trip. It was astonishing.
One thing the French do really well is breads, cheeses and wines/spirits. I believe their bread is some of the best in the world. Once you have enjoyed a fresh French Croissant, you are spoiled for any other kinds.
That is one thing I really love about travelling to other countries. Being able to try their foods. I am a culinary tourist more than anything else!
One year we were blessed to be able to spend a few weeks down in the Bordeaux/Dordogne region of France with our friends Audrey and Peter Lee. What a wonderful time we had. Peter had rented a stone cottage out in country side.
We spent our days hiking and exploring and then would come back to the cottage in the evenings where I would whip up a dinner for us from what we had managed to gather in the daytime during our travels. On that visit I got to try beautiful Caneles from the medieval town of Saint Emilion.
I fell in love with those beautiful French pastries. A beautifully rich caramel interior sealed into a crispy caramelised shell. So delicious!
Another time we stayed in the Alsace region of France/Germany. This region is an area in the North East of France that has alternately been either French or German throughout the centures, reflecting a mix of the two cultures. At the moment it belongs to France.
We spent a full day in Strasbourg which is the capital of the Alsace region. There is a street there that is lined with tall poles on both sides. There are stork nests situated on the top of each pole. I had never seen anything like it. Not before, not since. Storks (Cigognes Blanche are the symbol of Alsace, as is this fabulous Bacon and Onion Tart.
Tarte Flambee/Flammekeuche is its official name. It is sort of like the French/German equivalent of Pizza, but don't say that too loud or they might throw you in jail! haha
Essentially it is a round flat, open-faced tart with a beautiful incredibly crisp pastry bottom. This is topped with sour cream/creme fraiche, caramelised onions, two cheeses and beautiful Alsatian bacon/lardons.
Simple, and yet incredibly delicious in its simplicity. Along with the Choucroute Garnie (essentially sauerkraut and smoked meats/sausages) it was one of my favourite foods from the region. We enjoyed the Choucroute one day at an open table in a market square. It was served with the most delicious boiled baby potatoes.
Alsatian Bacon & Onion Tart
Ingredients
- 2 TBS olive oil
- 1 large onion, thinly sliced
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 2 TBS white wine or Calvados (French apple brandy)
- 1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
- 1/2 cup (125g)of creme fraiche (about 1/2 cup)
- 8 rashers of bacon, par-cooked (see notes) and chopped
- 1/4 cup (20g) of grated gruyere cheese
- 1/4 cup (20g) of grated cheddar cheese
- egg wash made with 1 egg yolk beaten with 1 tsp of milk or water
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6. Line a baking tray with baking parchment.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions, salt and black pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until they are soft and golden brown. This will take about 15 minutes.
- Add the wine or Calvados, if using, and stir gently to release any flavourful browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Simmer until the wine is evaporated, about 2 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the heat and allow to cool.
- Roll the pastry out on a lightly floured surface to a circle, about 13 inches in diameter.
- Transfer the rolled out dough to the prepared baking sheet. Spread with the creme fraiche evenly over the pastry, leaving a one inch border free all the way around the edge. Sprinkle evenly with the chopped bacon and the onions. Top with the grated cheeses.
- Fold over the exposed edges of the dough, fluting decoratively as you go, forming a 1 inch border. Brush this border with the prepared egg wash.
- Bake until the tart is golden brown and the bacon is crisp, about 20 to 25 minutes. Cut into 6 to 8 slices and serve hot.
notes:
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