Remember those old fashioned Grimms' Fairy Tales?  All
that Hansel and Gretel stuff?  The holidays remind me off that whole scenario, half-timbered Medieval Middle Euro-
pean villages with canals, flower boxes, cobblestones...you get the picture...One such town (and I hear it has one
of the best Christmas Markets in Europe) is Colmar, a town in France that is more German in its' culture and food
than French.  The town is in the French area known as Alsace, and it shares a border with Germany, oftimes shifted
between those two nations creating a hybrid of Franco-Germanic identity and flavor.  Sauerkraut is king, smoked
meats,  sausages, the famous Choucroutie Garni, the local favorite here.  It's a mix of smoked meats and sausages
with a sweet sauerkraut flavored by braising it in the locally produced wine, Riesling.  Spicebread, gingerbread is
sold all over the town, and even in the summer, the sentiment of Christmas hangs over it.
Take the most Christmasy, Spicy, scent you could possibly
imagine, and that's what led me into this shop, wall to wall Spice cake (gingerbread) of all shapes, sizes, and
textures.  Had I not just had another specialty of the town, the Pretzel, i would have started eating again.  With
credit card in hand, I bought a few items...off the chart spicy, peppery, sweet, and...Christmasy...this treat is
known as "Pain d'Epices", and is sold throughout the city.
here is showcase in one of Colmars' Charcuterie, or Butchers.
They specialize in sausages, wursts, smoked meats, and all cuts of pork.  The streaky smoked bacon
features in todays' blogpost recipe, the Tarte Flammbe or Flammenkutchen.  See, they speak French AND
German...what a cool place to visit....German, yet deliciously French...one of those best of both world
scenario.  The tart is a flatbread pizza.  It is topped with Creme Fraiche, a staple in the French kitchen which
vaguely resembles a loose sour cream.  Sauteed lardons, or strips of streak bacon and onions complete
the topping. Simple, yet, what a great flavor, and don't you think it's time to change up what you serve when
entertaining?  Instead of the bruschetta (yawn), or the nachos (again???), try this when entertaining, or it
makes a great entree served up with a salad for lunch or dinner.  I'llmake it even easier for you, buy a good
pizza dough, one dough makes a 1/2 sheet pan sized tart.  To prep the dough, bring to room temperature,
and in a well oiled bowl, rub the dough with oil, then place it in the bowl, cover it and let it rise for 2 hours.
cut the streaky bacon into strips, then
cut the strips into small pieces.  In a heavy pan, fry the bacon on medium heat so the fat renders out slowly
and the bacon softens up, as well as browns evenly without burning.  You will need a cup of the bacon for
a tart of this size.  Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon, and drain on paper towels.  Slice up 2 medium
sized onion into 1/8 in slices.  Saute' on low for about 10 minutes, taking care not to over brown the
onions.  Sprinkle a 1/2 tsp. of sugar and1/2 tsp. of salt over them.    Add the bacon back into the pan, and
mix well.  
Oil the bottom of a 1/2 sheet baking pan.  Press the dough into the pan pushing it out to the sides.  If you
have some resistance, just work it out to the edges slowly.  Spread 1 1/2 cups of the Creme Fraiche over the
top of  the dough.  Then cover it with the bacon and onion mixture.  Distribute it evenly.

Add a cup of diced caveaged Gruyere cheese over the top.  Not Swiss, not
Finlandia, Gruyere cheese, its' used throught this region, and it really is the
flavor of the dish...Costco even sells this...spend a little extra time in the
stores looking for it...It comes from Switzerland or France.  Have your oven pre-
heated to 500 degrees...yes, that high.  Anything lower and you will be steaming
the tart.  It takes about 15 minutes or less to cook, again, everyones' oven is
different.  Sprinkle some black pepper over it and just a little salt.

Wow,  I can smell it through the picture...the sweetness of the onion, the creamy sourness
of the creme fraiche, the tang of the cheese, the smokey goodness of the bacon.  The
bottom of your tart should be brown and crispy.  Let it sit for about 5 minutes before you
cut it.
There you have it.  Now you're cooking Alsatian food.
Pair this with a crisp Mineral water, a good Beer, or a Riesling...You can see in the picture it's not a perfect pan
shaped tart.  This is home cooking.  The only must is that it is not too thick...it should be crisp and chewy, not
bready.  Christmastime, the Holidays in General are a time to explore traditions and foods from around the
world, while keeping our own family traditions and foods as part of this time of year. Try this Tarte Flambee, or
Flamenkuchen...or Alsatian Bacon Onion Tart...said three different ways, all meaning the same, just like
everyone being from a different culture, but, all the same...the meaning of the season....