Quick Flammekuchen, tarte flambee

I believe tarte flambée, or flammekuchen, is a dish from the Alsace region.  Traditionally a thin leavened bread topped with crème fraîche, onions and bacon lardons, then baked in a wood fired oven.

This quick recipe I improvised one lunch time when there was not much in the fridge for lunch, save for an open pack of ham, crème fraîche and a small onion that my son had brought back from a gardening club at school.  Traditionally, I assume the bread would be leavened with yeast, but this quick version uses self-raising flour.

For the base

Self raising flour, a heap the size of a tennis ball.
Pinch of salt
Half a teaspoon dried mixed herbs
A glug of garlic infused oil, say about 2 tsp
Enough cold water to make a soft dough.

Don't worry if you add a little too much water and the dough is sticky, just add a little more flour until the dough stops sticking to your hands as you work it.
Roll out the dough to an oval or oblong shape to a few millimeters thick.

For the topping

Spoon on a tablespoon or two of crème fraîche and spread evenly with the back of the spoon. Sprinkle with a chopped shallot or small onion. Chop up ham and scatter on top, or use bacon lardons.

Bake at 180 - 200 C for about 10 minutes.

Pancetta and Parmesan Pasta with savoury custard

I've cooked this quick and simple dish for years and referred to it as Carbonara, but if you want to be pedantic, and many people do, it's not a traditional Carbonara. As I understand it, it would not traditionally contain cream. I'm all for respecting tradition, but this recipe is so popular with my family, that I shall continue to incorporate cream into the dish, but will not claim it's pasta carbonara.

Ingredients

1 pack of lardons or pancetta cubes

3 eggs

Handful of freshly grated parmesan

Double cream 60 to 80ml

Grind of black pepper

Pasta for 2 people

Method

Place the lardons in a dry, non-stick pan over a medium heat. As the fat on the lardons heats up, it liquifies and cooks the meat. When cooked to a deep colour and crisp, remove from the heat and save for later.
Start cooking the pasta.

Break the eggs into a bowl and add the parmesan, cream and a grind of pepper, then mix together with a fork.

When cooked, drain the pasta and return to its, still hot, saucepan. Add the creamy muixture and the reserved crispy lardons and stir over a medium heat. In a traditional carbonara the sauce would cook in the heat of the cooked pasta, but we need heat here to thicken what is effectively a bacon and parmesan custard. Keep stirring until the sauce thickens and clings nicely to the pasta.

Serve into warmed pasta bowls and consume greedily with a glass of robust white wine.