farmers would roll out bits of leftover dough into thin rounds, spread thick cream over them, and bake them quickly in the hot ovens Et voilà, tarte flambée was born Flambée refers to the wood fire in the oven These days one can buy steel tarte flambée ovens Being the true Alsatian that I am, I shipped one to my house in Chicago so that I can enjoy a bit of Alsace with my friends and family In this recipe the tarte flambée takes 5 minutes to bake in a home oven, but my oven gets much hotter than a regular home oven—650°F—and I bake my tart for just 60 seconds Whether you bake in a home oven or a commercial one, the intense heat completely breaks down the gluten in the crust and makes it very crispy Because the dough is rolled so thin, it is easier to work with the rounds if they are frozen When the oven is ready you pull them from the freezer one at a time, top them while still frozen, and put them directly onto the baking stone in the hot oven You will need to make the crusts ahead so that they have time to freeze, which is a good idea anyway Otherwise you’ll spend the evening rolling dough instead of entertaining your guests You can also pre-bake the crusts for 2 minutes before topping to stop the action of the yeast so that they are easier to handle BEFORE YOU BEGIN >> Get out the following equipment and allow all of the ingredients to come to room temperature: Digital scale, set to metric weights KitchenAid or ... work with the rounds if they are frozen When the oven is ready you pull them from the freezer one at a time, top them while still frozen, and put them directly onto the baking stone in the hot oven... minutes before topping to stop the action of the yeast so that they are easier to handle BEFORE YOU BEGIN >> Get out the following equipment and allow all of the ingredients to come to room... will need to make the crusts ahead so that they have time to freeze, which is a good idea anyway Otherwise you’ll spend the evening rolling dough instead of entertaining your guests You can also pre-bake the crusts for 2