Have you heard of Flammkuchen? I hadn’t until a recent visit to Central-Western Germany. Also known as tarte flambe, this dish is kind of like Germany’s version of pizza crossed with a flatbread and it’s absolutely delicious! Traditionally, it’s served with crème fraiche, bacon and onions although you do sometimes see other flavour combinations.
We first discovered it on a day trip to Schloss Drachenburg, around 40km south east of our base in Cologne. Actually, they have it all over the region but for me, this delicious creation will always be associated in my mind with the castle. And that day, sat out in the October sunshine atop a mountain with a view along the Rhine. Bliss.
At Schloss Drachenburg:
Schloss Drachenburg has an interesting history and I highly recommend a day trip if you find yourself in the Drachenfels region. It’s relatively modern for a castle, really more of a stately home in the Gothic style, having been built in 1882. During its history, it’s been a home, a holiday resort, catholic boarding school and Nazi elite school before being turned into a training centre for the German Regional Rail Office and then, in after lying dormant for several years, it became a tourist attraction in the 1970’s.
You can walk from the quaint town of Konigswinter up through the Drachenfel hills to the castle but it’s more fun to go on the little Drachenfels railway line which dates back to when the house was first built and is one of only four rack railway lines left in Germany (or so wikipedia tells me).
You don’t need more than 20 minutes maximum inside the castle. There, you’ll see most of the entertainment rooms and some of the bedrooms. They’ve been restored to how they would have looked when the castle was first built. What’s most impressive though, is the stunning view along the Rhine. We really enjoyed walking around the grounds to take it all in. Further along the rail line there is also an old castle ruin which you can walk up to and a visitor centre with a cafe, both worth a visit for the magnificent views and most importantly, lunch.
As you’ll know by now, I love to recreate dishes we’ve eaten on our travels and this is no exception. It turns out flammkuchen is actually really easy to make, with just a few simple ingredients.
My Flammkuchen recipe:
This makes two medium sized flammkuchen-esque flatbreads – perfect for a snack or one each with salad as a main course.
My first attempt was a bit of a fail – you need more of the white base than you’d think – it dries in the oven so make sure you have a good thick coverage to prevent your base being dry. I also went entirely wholemeal with the dough, which whilst healthy, did make it a little dense. I recommend splitting the mix between white and wholemeal dough for the best of both worlds.
Ingredients
For the dough:
- 250g white or wholemeal bread flour (or a split of both)
- 1 tsp fine salt
- 160ml warm water
For the topping:
- 4 heaped tbsp crème fraîche
- 2 heaped tbsp ricotta
- 200g smoked pancetta cubes or 3-4 rashers of smoky bacon snipped into small chunks
- 1 thinly sliced small white onion
- Fresh thyme leaves
- Cracked black pepper
Method:
- Mix the flour, salt and water in a bowl and knead until it forms an elastic dough. Cut in two and leave it to rest for 15 minutes.
- Roll the dough into thin discs – traditionally rectangular but round is fine if easier. Leave for a further 15 minutes.
- Fry the pancetta so that it’s cooked but not yet crispy.
- Mix the ricotta /crème fraiche together and season to taste.
- Top the dough with the crème fraiche mixture before adding the pancetta and white onion.
- Sprinkle with fresh thyme and cracked black pepper and place in a hot oven for 10 minutes until the dough is cooked and the onions and bacon are starting to crisp.
