Elsaesser Flammekuche / Tarte Flambee

Flammekuche or Tarte Flambee is a very typical dish in the Alsace region of France. The Alsace is an area that has been going going back and forth of being either the territory of Germany or France. And the dialect of Alsace reflects that strongly, by being a mix of German and French words in one sentence.

While living in Offenburg Germany, we went over to Strassbourg often, which is the main city in Alsace. Food options over there are endless and as there are many vineyards there's also a lot of vine festivals. Flammekuche is often enjoyed with "New Wine" as a snack or just as a nice light meal with some salad and a nice glass of white wine.

To make a traditional Flammekuche you will need

* 215g Flour
* 1/8tbsp Salt
* 2tsp Oil or Lard
* 125ml Water
* 200g Sour Cream or Creme Fraiche
* 200g Onion (sliced in rings)
* 100g Speck (cured/smoked bacon) thin slices cut in stripes

Making the crust

Put the flour on your work surface and make a little well in the middle, then add the salt, oil (or liquid lard) and water int he well and at the same time, using a fork, mix the water, oil and flour. After taht knead the dough so it is soft and silky and not sticky (if it feels sticky add a little flour.

Add Toppings

Separate the dough into two pieces and roll into two very thin rounds (or just roll into one big pie or square for a bigger tarte). Cover the crust generously with the Creme Fraiche (Sour Creme), distribute the thinly sliced onion and then the Speck on top if the Creme Fraiche. Season with some freshly grated black pepper and if you like with some cumin seeds.

Bake

In the very hot oven (preheated to 450 F) bake the Flammekuche until the crust is nice and crispy and the Creme Fraiche is bubbly.

Enjoy!

If you add the cumin, the onions will be easier to digest. Also you can make a sweet version of this as dessert. Just switch out the onion for thinly sliced apples and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.

Fat Free Orange Almond Cake

This is a very light, fluffy cake without any fat, well almost, the only fat in this cake is from the almonds, but we're not adding any butter or oil, so this one is really light! Obviously it will contain sugar and a little bit of flour but really this is one that you can easily serve to someone that's health conscious.

You will need:

150 grams of sugar
4 egg yolks

2 oranges,  zest only
2 - 3 drops of bitter almond extract

4 egg whites
1 pinch salt
1 knife tip of backing powder

2 tabelspoons of sugar

125 grams almond meal
5 tablespoons flour

Mix the sugar and the egg yolks until light yellow in color and very fluffy, add the orange zest and the almond flavor and mix in. Set aside.

In a clean bowl mix egg whites, salt and baking powder until peaks form, then add the 2 tablespoons of sugar and beat quickly for about another minute. Set aside

Mix the flour and almond meal evenly, then alternating with the egg whites fold gently into the egg yolk mixture with a rubber spatula. Fill in a prepared, well buttered and floured 8 inch/22 cm ring mold.

Bake on the lowest rack of a preheated 350 degree oven for about  35 - 45 minutes (depending on the mold).

Glaze:

150 ml Orange Juice
4 tablespoons of powdered sugar
if desired 2 tablespoons Grand Marnier or Cointreau

Mix well, then remove the cake from the pan, poke a couple of holes in it and drizzle with the glaze. Let cool and keep cool until ready to serve.

You can decorate the cake by peeling one of the oranges you zested.  Cut it in thin slices and layer on the cake evenly to make a nice pattern, then do the same with a banana. It looks nice and gives it an additional layer of flavor.

Serve and enjoy!

Spicy Turkey Meatballs with Mushroom Gravy

This recipe is one of my favorites and everyone loves to eat this dish. You don't have to make the sauce if you don't like Mushrooms or gravy. The Meatballs by themselves are a treat as well and, they are super easy to make:

Here is what you will need:

1 1/4 lb of lean ground turkey
1/2 cup breadcrumbs (you can leave these out when cooking gluten free, you don't need them)
1 egg
1 Tabelspoon Sambal (Chili/Garlic Sauce)
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Pepper
1/2 teaspoon Hot Paprika
2 dashes ground Cumin
2 dashes Cayenne Pepper
Parsley , handful chopped




Mix the dry ingredients in a small bowl, so all the spices and the breadcrumbs are combined well. Then in a big mixing bowl combine the turkey, egg, sambal and the dry ingredients so they are nicely combined. Form bite size balls with your hands and set them on a plate or cutting board.

In a big frying pan heat up a generous dab of butter and some vegetable oil. Once the butter is melted and nicely combined with the oil, start setting your meatballs in the pan and fry until nicely browned (make sure they are cooked through). Do not overfill the frying pan, because that will bring down the temperature in the pan and your meatballs won't cook evenly. SO you might have to cook them in two batches. Once they are cooked set them aside in a ovenproof dish and keep warm in the pre-heated oven.

Once you've fried all your meatballs, you can start on making the gravy.
You will need the following:

2 cups white or brown mushrooms sliced
1 cup water
1 cup red wine
1 tablespoon cornstarch (Maizena)
Salt
Pepper
Sambal
Dash of Half & Half or Heavy Cream

Deglaze the frying pan with a cup of red wine and half water, stir until all the brown bits are dissolved, bring to a simmer, then add the mushrooms and let them cook until they are soft. Salt and pepper to taste and maybe add some more of the sambal if you want the gravy spicy. Once the mushrooms are cooked, mix the cornstarch in a cup with a bit of water, then add to the simmering sauce, this will thicken the gravy and you will not get any lumps.

Take the meatballs out of the oven and cover with the gravy, serve with pasta or rice and a nice side salad.