Flammkuchen (Bacon and Onion Pizza)

One of the many (many many) things I enjoyed eating in Europe was Flammkuchen. Known by several names in different countries, it's primarily a thin pizza, slathered in crème fraîche with crispy bacon and caramelized onions. Given that crème fraîche is a little tough to come by, I've experimented with a couple different dairy products, usually with disasterous results. A few months ago, I came across a promising Flammkuchen recipe on Smitten Kitchen. She offered some substitutions that I was bound and determined to try. I used a mixture of easily found ricotta and sour cream, crisped up some smoky thick-cut bacon, and caramelized a red onion. Toss it all on premade pizza dough (Trader Joe's) and you've got yourself a pretty good imitation of Flammkuchen.

In twelve minutes, I was in heaven. Crispy, sweet, salty heaven. Served with a salad drizzled in red-wine vinaigrette, it was perfect. The vinegar from the salad cut through the richness of the cream topping and perfectly complemented the bacon and onions. This recipe's a keeper. I used the sour cream and ricotta alternatives and yes, putting it in a small food processor makes for a great consistency. Here it is, reproduced and slightly altered from the Smitten Kitchen website:

Serves 4 for a light dinner with a salad; can be divided to 8 appetizer portions or 16 tiny party portions

1/2 pound pizza dough
Olive oil, for oiling baking sheets
1/2 cup fromage blanc or ricotta
1/2 cup crème fraîche or sour cream
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/4 pound thickly sliced smoky bacon, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch strips
1 medium onion, thinly sliced

Preheat oven to 450°F. In a medium skillet, cook the bacon over medium heat until the fat is rendered and the bacon crisps up. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Add onion to skillet and cook until softened and beginning to caramelize, 7 to 10 minutes.

Whisk together (or blend together in a food processor, if you want it silky-smooth) fromage blanc and crème fraîche with flour, then season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Roll out dough and place on an oiled baking sheet or a heated pizza stone. Spread the fromage blanc mixture over the dough to within 1/4 inch of the edge. Sprinkle with the bacon and onion. Bake on the bottom shelf of the oven for about 12 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown. Cut into wedges and serve.