Pear Sauce Puff Pastry Fritters (Rissoles aux Poires)

Fried desserts aren’t the first thing that comes to mind when people think about French food, right? But you should know that some French regions boast with fried doughs and treats of all kinds – several of which make use of seasonal fruits in simple and comforting ways.

These Pear Sauce Puff Pastry Fritters, known in French as “Rissoles aux Poires” are my fall Favorites. They’re made with puff pastry filled with pear sauce and then fried to golden perfection.

They’re crunchy, sweet, sticky, and very moreish.

These little fritters hail from the French Alps, and are especially popular in the Savoy Region (straddling France, Switzerland and Italy) in late Fall and early Winter. Their name “rissoles” comes from a few ancient varieties of pears, such as Blesson ou Marlioz, traditionally used for this recipe, which are referred to as “poires à rissoles”. These pears have a very firm flesh – not suited for being eaten raw – which are best for stewing low and slow until their flesh turn red-ish and very soft and sweet.

In my Canadian kitchen, I make do with pears that are commonly available here, and I think the result is just as finger-licking good…

How to make these Pear Sauce Puff Pastry Fritters

The recipe starts by making the pear sauce. You peel and dice the pears in small cubes and combine them in a sauce pan with sugar. At this point, I like to add very little flavoring -only vanilla extract- to let the pears shine. Once reduced to a chunky sauce, leave it to cool down so it thickens and reaches a spreadable consistency.

The recipe continues with laying your sheet of puff-pastry flat on a working surface. If you have time, make your own puff pastry – but if not, a store-bought thawed puff pastry will be just fine.

You divide your puff pastry into two rectangles, drop tablespoons of pear sauce onto one sheet and cover with the other sheet. Using your fingers, you will then gently press the dough between each dab of sauce to firmly seal it. Finally, you cut the fritters into little rectangles.

These pear sauce filled rectangles are then immediately fried, until golden, puff and crisp.

My Cooking tips

• Firm Bartlett pears work great for this recipe – they lose their shape when cooked so are great for making sauce. Bosc or Anjou work too. 
• Although I honestly often rely on store-bought puff pastry to save time, you can of course make your own puff-pastry from scratch. For this, I like to use Anna Olson’s recipe. Mardi Michel’s cookbook “In the French Kitchen with Kids”also features a puff pastry recipe that I have made a few times, and it turned out great.
• I cannot stress this enough: make sure the fritters are well sealed before frying. If not, the pear sauce will ooze out in the frying oil and the fritter will deflate.
• Like most fried doughs , these Fritters are best enjoyed freshly made and still warm. 

I hope you’ll love these Pear Sauce Puff Pastry Fritters as much as I do! This is a simple yet delicious recipe to make on a cold Fall or Winter afternoon. You can easily double the quantities to make more.

You may also like:

• Nuns’ farts Carnaval Puffs
• Classic French Apple Cake 
• Spelt French Apple Cake 

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @pardonyourfrench on Instagram and hashtag it #pardonyourfrench

Pear Sauce Puff Pastry Fritters

Print Recipe

Serves: Makes 10 Fritters Prep Time: 20 Minutes Cooking Time: 50-55 Minutes 50-55 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 4.8/5

( 6 voted )

Ingredients

2.2 lbs (1kg) firm pears, peeled, cored and cubed
¾ cup (150g) sugar
1 tbsp honey
½ tbsp. vanilla extract
1 sheet puff pastry (12x10-inch)
Vegetable oil, for frying

Instructions

Make sure you read the cooking notes before you start.

Combine the pear cubes, sugar, honey and vanilla extract in a medium sauce pan over medium heat. Bring to a low simmer, turn the heat to medium-low and simmer for about 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally until the pears are reduced to a chunky sauce. Transfer to a bowl and let cool to room temperature – the sauce will thicken while cooling.

Lay the sheet of puff pastry flat on a floured working surface. Cut the sheet down the middle, so you have two rectangles of 6x5-inches.

Drop tablespoons of pear sauce about 1 inch (2.5cm) apart on one sheet (you should be able to fit 10 dabs of sauce on one sheet). Be careful not to put too much sauce – you should be able to close the fritters easily without pear sauce oozing out.

When the sheet is fully dotted, cover with the other sheet. Using your fingers, gently press the dough between each dab of sauce, to firmly seal it. Cut the “fritters” into rectangles, using a zig-zag edged pastry cutter or sharp knife.

Line up a large plate with paper towels.

Fill a deep-frying pan with frying oil (at least 2-inch high) and heat up the oil. To test if the oil is at a proper frying temperature: Place the handle of the wooden spoon in the oil. The oil is ready when bubbles begin to appear around the tip of the handle.

Drop two to three fritters in the oil and cook for 6-7 minutes until evenly browned. Using a spatula or slotted spoon, take the fritters out of the oil and place on the paper towel-lined plate (to absorb some of the excess oil). Work your way in small batches – do not fill the pot with more than 2-3 fritters at a time or it will slow down the cooking process.

Transfer the fritters immediately to a plate and sprinkle them generously with icing sugar.

Best enjoyed within 2 hours.

Did you make this recipe?

I’d love to know how it turned out! Please let me know by leaving a comment below, rate the recipe and/or share a photo on Instagram: tag @pardonyourfrench  and hashtag it #pardonyourfrench.  Bon Appetit!