Cornucopia of nature and tarte flambée with figs and bacon

Late summer/autumn and me – our relationship gets closer and closer. When I was younger, autumn for me was the beginning of the end. Summer and school holidays were over, I saw the cold winter coming. The warm autumn afternoons just reminded me of the oh so warmer summer days, the beautiful coloured trees were just a sign of decay.

I have no idea what’s changed since … perhaps it is the age, but nowadays I get to like this season of the year more and more. Now I have an eye for the autumnal beauty of nature, although it is very temporarely, I enjoy the warming sunlight and the mood that the low standing sun creates. What is a sunset in summer against this colour explosion on an autumn evening?

It’s also this time in the year when nature for the last time before her little nap shows what she’s able to, overwhelming us with lots of great vegetable, fruits and nuts: pumpkin, potatoes, chestnuts (I know, I am a bit obsessed), apples, grapes (hey, it’s the time of new wine and cider!), pears, plums, quince, and figs … ok, they’re not harvested exactly in Germany, but Turkey, Italy, you’re so near!

This year I turned the first figs I bought into this super yummy variation of Flammkuchen/tarte flambée. I skipped the classic bacon and onions and topped the bread dough with sour cream with bacon, fig slices and a bit of rosemary instead – a delicious combination full of contrasts in flavour (sweet – savoury) and texture (jammy – crisp).

The secret of making tarte flambée? – High baking temperature (like with baking pizza) and a dough that is rolled out so thin that you can see your hand through. That’s about it. So after a little pause here’s again a little recipe.

Tarte flambée with figs and bacon (1 baking tray, 1-2 persons)

ingredients
1/2 quantity of basic pizza/bread dough (see here or here)

2 big figs, 50 g bacon, 2 tablespoons sour cream (Schmand, 24% fat), salt, pepper, a few rosemary needles, 1 teaspoon honey

preparation
Roll out dough very thin and place on a baking tray covered with baking paper. Season sour cream with salt (keep in mind that the bacon is salty as well) and pepper and spread on dough. Cut figs into slices, tear bacon into smaller pieces. Place figs and bacon, sprinkle with rosemary and bake for 10-12 minutes at 220°C. Drizzle with honey and enjoy warm!