Belle Alsace

Five years ago, almost to the day, I embarked on my semester abroad in Strasbourg. This morning came DCist's mention of L'Auberge Chez Francois, an Alsatian restaurant in Vienna (whose owner is a friend of a gentleman who guided many of my travels through Alsace), and shortly after that, an email from an old friend (and fellow culinary adventurer), pointing me to this piece in the Times, hailing the virtues of Alsace's signature dish, choucroute.

Now I'm hungry and desperately miss Strasbourg, with its cheap, plentiful, amazing food and even more mind-blowing wine (I was there in the better days of the dollar). The article does a nice job in describing how good choucroute can be - even I, shy of pork product and anything cabbage-like, cannot resist its warm, tasty allure - but of course sticks to its theme, and does no more than mention any of the other amazing foods available in this oft-invaded region.

Below is a recipe for one of my favorites, the above-mentioned Tarte à L’oignion. Alsace’s neighbor Lorraine is famous for its quiche, but I find the Alsatian version at least as good, and probably better for many occasions. The secret here is the nutmeg. You only need a pinch, but do experiment with that…you’ll be amazed to discover how the sweet spice can make or break the dish. Best served with a good Alsatian Pinot Blanc or Riesling (note that these wines are VERY different than the same varietals from other regions).

Crust:

You can use a store-bought crust here, but make sure it’s not sweetened in any way. To make one yourself, use 2/3 lbs. flour, 1/3 lbs. butter, and 1/5 cup water, make a ball, and refrigerate about 2 hours, then roll out. DO NOT pre-bake!

Filling:

1 1/3 lbs. onion peeled and finely chopped.
1/3 cup butter
1/cup flour
2 egg yolks
2/3 cup crème fraiche
2/3 cup whole milk
Salt, pepper, nutmeg.

• Mix flour, eggs, milk, crème fraiche, and spices in a bowl – set them aside.
• Sautee the onions lightly with the butter, until clear but not browned.
• Roll out the crust, shape into pie dish.
• Pour mixture and onions into the crust.
• Bake at 350 degrees, about 30 minutes.
• In the end, it should have a consistency like quiche.