Missing the flavors of Europe? Transport your taste buds with these Mini Onion and Bacon Tarts! Crispy flatbread crust, creamy sour cream base, melty cheese, and crispy bacon make for a mouthwatering appetizer or meal.
When we lived in Germany, we traveled quite a bit and spent a lot of time in the Alsatian region because of how close we were to France. On every menu, there is a flammkuchen, which is the German version of a tarte flambée. We probably ate 847 flammkuchen in the two years we lived in Europe.
It is reminiscent of pizza, in that it is round and on a crust, but the crust is paper-thin, more like a cracker. You can find them with different toppings, but 99% of the time, they are made with a layer of crème fraîche and topped with speck and onion.
Now that we have been at home for what feels like forever, we are really missing the days when we packed our bags and hit the road. So instead of adventuring out, we are adventuring in. We are traveling and remembering our adventures through food. I made these mini onion and bacon tarts and they brought us back to the weekends at the Biergarten in Germany.
These little guys are super easy to make and hit the spot. Serve as an appetizer with a beverage, or as a meal with a salad. You can also make one large tart too. This is a very versatile recipe.
Mini Onion and Bacon Tarts Ingredients
You will need flatbread dough (store-bought or homemade), Hood Sour Cream, salt, pepper, nutmeg, shredded cheese, sliced onions, cooked bacon, and fresh herbs.
- Flatbread Dough. I purchased two packages of flatbread dough from the refrigerator section of my grocery store. You can also use pizza crust rolled very thin or make your own using your favorite recipe.
- Sour Cream. Traditionally, these use crème fraîche, but I’m not about that life. I always have multiple tubs and squeeze bottles of Hood Sour Cream in my fridge. (Whoever came up with the sour cream in the squeeze bottle idea deserves a Noble Prize.
We eat a lot of baked potatoes and I love the squeeze bottle for the no-mess factor, but especially to measure it out when I’m baking. Genius!) It’s creamy, rich, and easy to flavor any way that I want, I live for sour cream, I can turn something ordinary into something extraordinary.
- Shredded Cheese. Honestly, use whatever you have. Just a really flavorful cheese that melts well. I used a combination of mozzarella and Monterey Jack. But cheddar, Gruyere, Swiss, any kind you like is fine. Onion. I like to thinly slice sweet yellow onions. Traditionally, they use raw onions, but caramelized onions on this would be amazing.
- Bacon. I cook my bacon ahead of time because I like my bacon to be super crispy. The traditional European way is to have the bacon cook on the tarts, but they do not appreciate crisp bacon as Americans do. So I cook it ahead of time. You can also use pre-cooked bacon, no one will judge you over here.
- Herbs. Again, you can use whatever you have, but I think that a little bit of freshness when these come out really makes the difference. I love fresh thyme and rosemary. Parsley is always a winner.
How To Make – The Steps
These come together in no time – particularly if you have a few pieces of cooked bacon lying around.
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Step 2: Add sour cream, salt, and pepper, to a bowl. Grate in fresh nutmeg and mix well. Set aside.
Step 3: Cut out flatbread dough into circles using a cookie cutter, about 4 inches. Place on the baking sheet. Add about a tablespoon of the sour cream mixture and spread over the flatbread dough.
Step 4: Top with cheese, onions, and bacon.
Step 5: Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until golden brown.
Step 6: Sprinkle with fresh herbs.
What Makes These Mini Onion and Bacon Tarts So Good?
These almost disappeared before I had the chance to finish taking their picture, they are so delicious. They are especially good because:
- The crust is crispy and crunchy and the perfect vehicle for the sour cream base and the melty cheese.
- Creamy, rich, delicious sour cream. It doesn’t take a lot to make sour cream better, but just a little salt, pepper, and nutmeg, make a delicious base that can be the canvas for so many other toppings. You don’t think that sour cream is going to be amazingly baked, but it really is. It’s so, so, good.
- Crispy, thick-cut bacon. Do I need to say much else? I like to buy thick-cut bacon but cut it into thin strips, almost like confetti. The crispier the better.
Mini Onion and Bacon Tarts
Ingredients
- ¾ cup Hood Sour Cream
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 2 packages refrigerated flatbread dough
- 1 cup shredded cheese
- 1 cup cooked bacon chopped
- ½ onion thinly sliced
- Fresh thyme
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a small bowl mix together sour cream, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Set aside.
- Cut flatbread dough into 4-inch circles using a cookie cutter. Place on baking sheet.
- Spread a tablespoon of sour cream mixture on dough. Top with cheese, onion, and bacon.
- Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown.
- Sprinkle with thyme leaves.
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