Alsatian/German Flatbread: Flammkuchen

"Flammkuchen," literally "Flame Cake," but actually more of a tart, got its name long ago from being put into wood burning ovens while the flames were still burning and the oven was extremely hot. This added browned or even blackened spots to the topping, and the "Flammkuchen" baked very quickly. As the flames died down and the temperature dropped a bit, loaves of bread were then baked, as the bakers naturally didn't want the bread to be burned. One of my German ancestors was a baker in the city of Siegen in the 1500s (in modern times, Siegen is in the German state of "North Rhine-Westphalia"). "Flammkuchen" was developed in Alsace (see "Word History" below), but it is also a part of various regional cuisines of southwestern Germany, like in parts of Baden and Rheinland-Pfalz (Rhineland-Palatinate),* and in a few others, including I believe, in parts of Switzerland. As with many German dishes, there are several dialect names and spelling variations; for instance, "Flammenkuchen," and in its home region it is called "Flammekueche," in Alsatian German dialect ("Elsässisch"). While toppings certainly vary, "traditional Flammkuchen" uses onion and bacon. Some people make the dough using yeast, like for a bread or pizza dough, while others use no leavening agent at all, making the dough "similar" to a pie dough. They actually sell already made "Flammkuchen" dough in packages in parts of Germany and Alsace (maybe in parts of Switzerland? Austria?).   

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cup flour (a little more if needed)
2 tablespoons oil (I use regular olive oil)
1/3 to 1/2 cup water
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 ounces smoked salmon, thinly sliced, then torn into pieces
8 to 10 stalks of asparagus, tough bottom section removed, then cut into 1 to 2 inch pieces
1/2 cup creme fraiche ** (or sour cream)
1/4 cup dry cottage cheese or Quark/Topfen***
2 to 3 tablespoons dill, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper 

Add the flour to a bowl. Make a trough in the middle of the flour and add the oil, salt and 1/4 cup of water to the trough, reserving the remainder of the water. Begin mixing the ingredients into a dough, gradually adding water as you mix. I've found 1/3 cup of water to be good, but you might need a little more, or even a little less. "Need" the dough.... ah, "knead" the dough (I wish we still pronounced the "k" in such words) until the dough is smooth and not sticky. Wrap it in plastic wrap, or cover it in a bowl (it is not going to rise, as there is no yeast in it, but you don't want it to dry out) and let the dough rest as you get the topping ready. Put the asparagus pieces into a pan with water and cook them for just a few minutes. The asparagus should be tender when pierced with a knife or a fork, but still remain firm. Drain and dry the asparagus (I put it onto paper towels). Mix the creme fraiche and the dry cottage cheese together. Use a baking sheet: I use an 18 inch by 12 inch baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and remember, the Flammkuchen doesn't have to perfectly cover the entire baking sheet, nor does it have to be a perfect rectangle. Roll out the dough thinly, then get it onto the baking sheet. Spread the creme fraiche/dry cottage cheese mixture in a thin layer over the dough. Place and press into the creamy topping the pieces of asparagus and smoked salmon. Sprinkle on the black pepper and the finely chopped dill as evenly as possible. Heat the oven to 450 F and bake the Flammkuchen for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the bottom is firm. If the top is not browned in places, you can place the Flammkuchen under the broiler (about 10 inches from the broiler) for a brief time, with your undivided attention, as this is not "Holzkohlenkuchen" (charcoal cake). 

* Baden was long a separate German state, but in the early 1950s it became part of the state of "Baden-Württemberg." It's good to remember, that over the centuries, the boundaries of the various German states often changed, as "Prince So and So," married "Duchess What's Her Name," and lands were combined from such marriages. Of course too, boundary changes from wars also played a big part. Generally speaking, some well known cities in the Baden region are Heidelberg (I have been there), Karlsruhe and Baden-Baden (that's right, that's right).

** "Creme fraiche" is easily made at home, but it has a ton of ingredients: heavy cream and buttermilk. (Damn, that IS a ton of ingredients! hahaha). You can also buy it ready made, or you can use sour cream, including the reduced fat type, if you'd like. For the recipe: https://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2017/07/make-your-own-creme-fraiche.html  

*** "Quark" is a soft white cheese VERY common in German areas in Europe. In Austria and some parts of Bavaria it is commonly called "Topfen." It is "similar to," but not the same as, American cream cheese, and it is "similar to," but not the same as cottage cheese. I've seen some German recipes in the U.S. call for "drained cottage cheese put through a sieve," as a substitute for Quark, but years ago, German immigrant friends of mine said that procedure doesn't make it the same. Look, you're not going to win these kinds of arguments outright, so I use "dry cottage cheese," and unless you have an unusually sensitive palate, you won't have missed a thing by not using Quark. If you have your heart set on Quark, you'll likely find it in German shops or in some cheese shops. I use dry cottage cheese and I haven't turned into a pillar of salt, although I must admit, to make a brine, I just stick my hand in some water, and it works fine. Hmm...  

WORD HISTORY: 
Alsace-This name developed centuries ago (I've seen the 700s and 800s mentioned) in Old High German, the ancestor of modern standard German, and a close relative of Old English. It is a compound, with its component parts related to English "else" and "sit," both words from the Germanic roots of English. Old High German had "ali sazzo," which literally meant, "sitter on the other," with "the other" meaning, "the other side of the Rhine." "Ali" goes back to Indo European "aljaz," which had the notion, "from/of the other, another;" further, "beyond a given point;" thus, "other side." This gave Old High German "elles," meaning, "other, otherwise," which then produced "ali" (mentioned above). "Sasso" goes back to Indo European "sed," which meant, "to sit." This gave Old Germanic "sitjanan," also meaning, "to sit," which then produced the verb "sizzen," also meaning "to sit," and then the derived Old High German noun "sasso," meaning, "sitter;" thus, "dweller, one who sits, dwells."^ Combined, the parts gave German "Elisasz," which then became modern "Elsass." Latin borrowed the German term in the Middle Ages as "Alsatia," and English borrowed the word from Latin. Historical note: The history of Alsace is very complex, but as the Roman Empire declined, the entire region (not just modern Alsace) was taken by the Germanic tribe the Alemanni. To this day, the German dialect in Alsace and the overall region traces back to the Alemanni. The Franks, another powerful Germanic tribe, took over the area, and it became part of the Holy Roman Empire, which was not Roman, but German (German "Reich" #1), where it remained until the 1600s, when it was conquered (sort of incrementally), by France. When German Prussia and other German states defeated France in 1870-71, this brought the declaration of the founding of the German Empire #2, and it included about 90% of what had been Alsace. After World War One, France got Alsace, which was then taken by Germany in 1940, under Hitler and German Empire #3. The end of that war saw Alsace go back to France, where it remains to the present (and if you followed all of that). It continues with a mixed Franco-German culture.      

^ As with English "he sits" (present tense) and "he sat" (past tense), German has "er sitzt" and "er saß" (="sass"). Another German word from the same source is the noun "Gesäß" (kind of literally, "seat"), meaning, "butt, rear end, backside, behind," or "bum," more common in England and other parts of Britain. My guess is, many Americans would not know what that word means.