Flammeküche is the Alsatian word for what is called a tarte flambée in french. It has a thin bread dough base with crème fraîche, fromage blanc, onions and smoked lardons. This Alsatian street food is very easy to make at home and is perfect as a light evening meal with some salad, or as a finger food or starter.

For the base you’ll need a bread dough, if you don’t feel up to making your own or don’t have the time you can buy a ready-made pizza base which works pretty well too or if you are in France you can buy a raw bread dough in your local boulangerie or supermarket.

 Ingredients :

• 500g bread dough
• 20cl crème fraîche
• 200g fromage blanc
• 2 onions
• 300g of lardons
• Rapeseed oil
• Salt, pepper and nutmeg

Method :

1. Pre-heat oven to its hottest setting 250° – 270°
2. Finely slice the onions and fry them gently over a low heat until they become translucent
3. Do the same with the bacon
4. Mix the crème fraîche, the fromage blanc with the pepper, nutmeg and salt (if using, the lardons may be salty enough!)
5. Roll the dough as thinly as possible on a baking sheet
6. Using a spatula, cover the dough evenly with the cream mixture
7. Spread onions and lardons on top
8. Cook in the oven for about 10 minutes, until the dough looks crispy

*  You can add cheese or mushrooms etc. to your flammeküche if you wish 🙂

Auvergne is a region in south central France, home to the city of Clermont-Ferrand. This recipe is from the region, hence the name,  and uses the local Cantal cheese.

Ingredients :

• 400g potatoes
• 4 ripe tomatoes
• 10cl olive oil
• 25g butter
• 1 pate brisée or short cut pastry, see here
• 150g Cantal cheese
• 100g lardons
• Salt

Method :

1. Wash the potatoes and cook them for 15 minutes in salted boiling water, then strain
2. Pre-heat oven to 210°C
3. Place the tomatoes for at least 30 seconds in boiling water, then immediately put them in cold water, this will make it possible to peel them
4. Once peeled, slice the tomatoes and place them in a dish, add salt and pepper, then pour the olive oil over them
5. Roll out your pastry and then transfer it to your tin (24cm round tin) and prick the base with a fork
6. Remove the rind off the cheese and slice and slice it in fine strips
7. Put the lardons in boiling water for a few minutes until they are cooked, then strain
8. Spread the lardons with 1/2 of the cheese evenly on the pastry base
9. Peel and slice the potatoes and place them on the cheese and lardons
10. Cover the potatoes with the tomato slices  and then pour the tomato marinade over them
11. Use the rest of your cheese on top of your dish
12. Cook for 30 minutes at 210°C
13. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before eating and serve with a green salad

*  Depending on where you are it may be difficult to source cantal cheese but you can replace it with a different hard cheese – cheddar would work really well with this recipe!

This is a really versatile pastry and it adapts perfectly to both savoury and sweet recipes.

Ingredients :

• 100g butter
• 210g flour
• 5cl water
• Pinch of salt

Method :

I use my food mixer for this but you can do it by hand (its just a lot more work!)

1. Chop butter in cubes
2. Add flour and salt and mix well until you have a mixture that feels like breadcrumbs
3. Slowly add the water until you get the texture required
4. Allow the pastry to ‘relax’ for an hour or two before using

• If I am using this for a sweet desert pastry I add a desert-spoon of caster sugar to the mixture. You don’t have to of course, again it depends on your own preferences.

<img alt=”twitter” title=”Share on Twitter” class=”synved-share-image synved-social-image synved-social-image-share” width=”24″ height=”24″ style=”display: inline; width:24px;height:24px; margin: 0; padding: 0; border: none; box-shadow: none;” src=”https://myfrenchtable.com/wp-content/plugins/social-media-feather/synved-social/image/social/regular/24×24/twitter Check This Out.png” />

There are lots of quiche recipes but this is the original, traditional ‘quiche lorraine’ from the Lorraine region in eastern France which doesn’t include cheese! But once you have the basic quiche you can then add whatever you want : cheese, onions, leeks, courgettes etc depending on your tastes. It is perfect served warm with a side-salad.

You’ll need a pâte brisée for this recipe, which is simply the french version of a pie or tart pastry. I think its known as short cut pastry in english (open to corrections on that!)

Of course you can buy a ready-made pastry in the supermarket but really pastry is so easy to make and so much nicer when you make it yourself it is a pity not to!

Heres my recipe for pate brisée

Ingredients :

• 1 pate brisée
• 4 eggs
• 30cl crème fraîche
• 150g lardons
• Salt & pepper
• Nutmeg

Method :

1. Pre-heat oven to 180°C
2. Roll out your pastry into a tart dish and prick it with a fork
3. Fry the lardons until the are cooked
4. Mix the eggs and creme fraiche well.
5. Add salt if using (add sparingly because with the lardons you may have enough salt already) and pepper and nutmeg
6. Spread the lardons around on the pastry
7. Pour the eggs and crème fraîche mixture over the lardons
8. Place in the oven for 30 minutes, until golden brown on top

I love lentils, hot or cold – tasty, cheap and nutritious!

Ingredients :

• 60-80g of lentils per person
• 2 tomatoes
• 2 scallions
• 1 egg per person

Method :

1. Cook the lentils according to the instructions on the packet, usually you cook them in a large sauceman of water and count 25 minutes from when the water starts to boil
2. Strain the lentils and allow to cool
3. Finley chop the scallions and tomatoes
4. Make up a vinaigrette
5. Mix the lentils, tomatoes, scallions and vinaigrette together
6. Serve with a poached egg on top

This is really just a variant of the French Yoghurt Cake that I already posted but includes apples.

Ingredients :

• 250g flour
• 150g sugar
• 1 heaped teaspoon of baking powder
• 3 eggs
• 75g butter
• 100g natural yoghurt or fromage blanc
• 2/3 apples
• Pinch of salt
• Vanilla essence (optional)

Method :

1. Pre-heat oven to 180°C
2. Melt the butter in the microwave
3. Mix the flour, baking powder and sugar together
4. Add the eggs and yoghurt/fromage blanc to the dry ingredients and mix well with a whisk
5. Add butter and mix well and add vanilla essence to the mixture if using
6. Peel and chop your apples and add
7. Pour into well greased loaf tin
8. Bake for 40 minutes

This is a very simple plain cake, and one that almost all french kids start with when they start baking at a very young age.

Ingredients :

• 1 carton natural yoghurt (wash out the carton to use it to measure the other ingredients)
• 3 cartons flour
• 2 cartons sugar
• 1/2 carton neutral tasting oil – I use sunflower oil
• 3 eggs
• Teaspoon of baking powder
• Vanilla essence

Method :

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180°C
2. Mix all the ingredients together
3. Pour into greased loaf tin and bake for 30 minutes (this could vary by a few minutes depending on your oven)

Yes you’ve guessed it right – a delicious, rich, chocolate-y chocolate cake. Perfect for dessert served with a crème anglaise or some ice-cream or even as a particularly yummy gouter (afternoon snack). This is my three kids favourite cake and it takes only 5 minutes to prepare and 13 minutes to cook!

Ingredients :

• 200g good dark chocolate (I use 70%)
• 100g butter
• 125g caster sugar
• 3 eggs
• 50g flour

Method :

1. Pre-heat the oven to 200°
2. Melt the butter and chocolate together in a bain marie*
3. Beat the eggs with the sugar until it is light and fluffy
4. Add the melted chocolate and butter to the mixture
5. Add the flour
6. Grease a round tin and cook for 13-15 minutes at 200°C (I prefer nice and gooey in the middle so 13 minutes is enough, 15 mins is perfect if you want it cooked through but not dry)

Yes I know that the name cake will usually conjure up images of something sweet with a cup of tea but in France the word ‘cake’ really refers to the loaf form, be that savoury or sweet. This is one of my staple recipes – great as an aperitif or as a light meal with some salad. There are lots of variants to the basic ingredients which I will share in the upcoming months.

Ingredients :

• 3 eggs
• 150g flour
• 1 heaped teaspoon of baking powder
• 10cl sunflower oil
• 12.5cl hot milk
• 100g grated gruyere (or cheddar or any hard cheese you fancy!)
• 200g of cooked bacon or ham or lardons etc
• 75g green olives
• Salt and Pepper

Method :

1. Pre-heat oven to 180°C
2. Chop bacon/ham and olives
3. In a large bowl beat the eggs with the flour, baking powder, salt and pepper
4. Slowly add the oil and the hot milk, mixing all the time with a whisk
5. Add the grated cheese and then the bacon/ham and olives
6. Pour the mixture into a loaf tin and cook for 45 minutes

<img alt=”mail” title=”Share by email” class=”synved-share-image synved-social-image synved-social-image-share” width=”24″ height=”24″ style=”display: inline; width:24px;height:24px; margin: 0; padding: 0; border: none; box-shadow: none;” src=”https://myfrenchtable.com/wp-content/plugins/social-media-feather/synved-social/image/social/regular/48×48/mail have a peek here.png” />