flammeküeche (France)

I first encountered flammeküeche when I moved to France in 2004. There was a restaurant in Lille where you could order it. It struck me as a very Teutonic pizza, and I suppose it’s not that far from what one might expect. I always understood it to be impossible to make in the US because it required that most French of ingredients: crème fraîche (there isn’t even a translation for it in English; it’s known simply as that: crème fraîche).

But more and more supermarkets carry crème fraîche now, so it’s easy to make! Now the bottleneck is lardons, which are difficult to get in the US. I substitute bacon when I’m getting impatient for it, but now I’m lucky that there’s a restaurant just a few blocks away that serves it, and well!

So thanks to Dominique for sending this, the eightieth postcard from France, and reminding me of a dish I love so much!