French fruit gratins: a comforting dessert for the cozy seasons

Sweet gratins made with seasonal fruits are very popular in France, during just about any season of the year. They can be made with stone fruits like peaches and plums in the Summer, and pears or apples in the Winter.

Sweet gratins are especially beloved among home bakers as they’re quick and simple to prepare, and make the most of seasonal fruits.

During Fall and Winter, I personally love how baked fruit gratins are simpler and quicker to make than a cake, yet yield the same feelings of comfort and coziness. This warm French Almond Pear Gratin is perfect for enjoying on a cold evening, or as a comforting treat when you need a little indulgence.

Ingredients you’ll need for this French Almond Pear Gratin

This French Almond Pear Gratin requires pantry staples ingredients, along with delicious, in-season pears. Here is a detailed list of everything you’ll need to recreate this rustic French recipe at home. 

1. Butter. Choose unsalted butter. It must be at room temperature, so you can easily mix it with the sugar. So, I recommend you take the butter out of the fridge at least 1 hour prior.
2. Sugar. White sugar works best.
3. Salt. A pinch of salt always enlivens all the flavors. 
4. Ground almonds. Ground almonds, also known as almond meal, are simply almonds (peeled or unpeeled) that have been finely ground into a flour-like consistency. You can opt for almond meal (coarsely ground) or almond flour (finer ground), if that’s what you have on hand. Ground almonds yield a moist and dense result in baked goods, with a lovely rustic texture.
5. Eggs. Make sure they are at room temperature. Take them out of the fridge at least 30 minutes prior.
6. 1/4 tsp almond extract. Just a quarter teaspoon is enough to bring big almond flavors.
7. 4 to 5 pears. Choose firm baking pears, such as Bartlett, Bosc, or Anjou. They won’t release too much moisture when baking and will hold their shape. Depending on the size of your pears, you may need 4 or 5. 
8. Powdered sugar (optional). For dusting on the finished dessert, before serving. 

Overview: How to make this French Almond Pear Gratin

Here are the directions for making this recipe. You can find the list of ingredients and detailed instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of this article.  

1. Make the almond mixture. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Add the ground almonds and mix until just incorporated. Add the 3 eggs and almond extract and mix again until just incorporated. Spread the almond mixture at the bottom of a greased baking dish.
2. Prepare the pears. Peel, core and cut pear into quarters.
3. Assemble the dessert. Place pear quarters onto the almond mixture, about ½ inch (1.25cm) apart, pushing each piece down so they are tucked in nicely. Sprinkle the tablespoon of sugar evenly on top. Bake for 40 minutes until the top is lightly golden.

Frequently asked questions

For the ground almonds, should I use almond meal or almond flour?

Both work great here! This sweet gratin has a rustic feel to it, so the consistency of the ground almonds (coarse meal or fine flour) has little to no importance. Almond meal is typically coarser, has a slightly grainy texture and a darker speckled appearance from the almond skins.  Almond flour is ground more finely, has a smoother texture and usually lighter in color.

Should I use blanched or unblanched ground almonds?

They both work perfectly.

What variety of pear is best for this dessert?

For baking with pears, I recommend choosing a firm baking variety such as Bartlett, Bosc, or Anjou.

Can I substitute apple for pear?

Yes, absolutely you can replace the pears with apples if you would like. Although note that this recipe was specifically created with pears, as the taste pairs so nicely with almond.

If you do choose to use apples, choose baking apples that will hold their shape when cooking and not turn into mush. My favorite baking apple varieties are Honey Crisp, Jonagold, Pink Lady, Granny Smith and Mutsu. 

Storage tips:

• To refrigerate: After making and enjoying this pear dessert, you can cover it with plastic film and store in in the fridge for up to 3 days. You can enjoy it chilled or reheated. For reheating, simply pop it in the oven at 350°F (180°C) for 8-10 minutes.
• Don’t freeze: I don’t recommend freezing this dessert. The pears will likely become soggy when thawing.

Audrey’s note:

• This recipe fits perfectly into a 8”x 8” (20,32cm x 20,32cm) baking dish.

I hope you’ll love this French Almond Pear Gratin recipe as much as I do! If you have any questions, please feel free to leave a comment. 

More French desserts to enjoy:

• Classic French Pear Cake
• Gluten-Free Apple Crisp 
• Classic French Tarte Tatin
• Apple Cinnamon Galette 
• Lemon Olive Oil Cake
• Apple Breton Pound Cake
• Classic French Apple Cake 
• Classic French Thin Apple Tart
• Classic French Chocolate Moelleux Cake

French Almond Pear Gratin (Gluten-free)

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Serves: 6 Prep Time: 15 Minutes Cooking Time: 40 Minutes 40 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 3.8/5

( 9 voted )

Ingredients

2/3 cup (150g) unsalted butter, at room temperature (+ some extra for greasing the dish)
6 tbsp (75g) sugar, + 2 tbsp (25g) for sprinkling
¼ tsp salt
1 1/2 cup (155g) ground almonds (meal or flour)
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1/4 tsp almond extract
4 to 5 large pears
1 tbsp powdered sugar (optional)

Instructions

Step 1 - In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter, sugar and salt. Add the almond powder and mix until just incorporated. Add the 3 eggs and almond extract and mix again until just incorporated.

Grease a baking dish with butter. Spread the almond mixture over the bottom of the dish.

Pre-heat your oven to 350°F (180°C) with a rack in the middle.

Step 2 - Peel, core and cut pears into quarters. Place pear quarters onto the almond mixture, about ½ inch (1.25cm) apart, pushing each piece down so they are tucked in nicely. Do not overcrowd the dish, you may not need all the pear pieces. 

Step 3 - Sprinkle the two tablespoons of sugar evenly over top. Bake for 40 minutes until the top is lightly golden. Check for doneness by inserting a knife or toothpick into the almond mixture; it should come out clean when the gratin is done.

Once the gratin is out of the oven and slightly cooled, dust the top with powdered sugar for a finishing touch.

Serve with slightly warm or cool. It pairs wonderfully with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream for added indulgence.

The post French Almond Pear Gratin (Gluten-free) appeared first on Pardon Your French.

A key step : Ribboning the eggs and sugar 

For the batter, you must start by ribboning together the eggs and sugar. This is a key step in making this recipe, so I wanted to emphasize a bit on this technique here.

“Ribboning” is achieved by beating the eggs and sugar together (by hand or with a hand mixer) for a long period (usually 5 to 10 minutes) until the sugar crystals dissolve and the mixture becomes pale, thick and forms a ribbon when falling from the whisk. The mixture should be smooth and hold its shape, but not dry. You can watch this video for more instructions. This process is important as it incorporates air into the mixture, which is essential to achieve the tender, airy cake crumb that makes this pear cake so unique. 

Cooking notes : 

• Choose firm baking pears, such as Bartlett, Bosc, or Anjou. They won’t release too much moisture when baking and will hold their shape. 
• I like to peel the pears, but you can certainly leave them unpeeled if you wish. 
• When adding the pear chunks to the batter, it will look like there is too much pear – this is normal. Use a spatula to fold the pears into the batter and to spread out the thick batter in the prepared cake pan. 
• The cake is rather delicate in texture, so I recommend using a well-greased springform pan so it is easier to remove it from the pan (flipping it onto a plate may break it).

I hope you’ll love this Classic French Pear Cake recipe as much as I do! If you have any questions, please feel free to leave a comment. 

You may also like:

• Apple Breton Pound Cake 
• Gluten-Free Apple Crisp
• Apple Cinnamon Galette 
• Classic French Apple Cake
• French Walnut Coffee Cake
• Salted Butter Breton Sables

Classic French Pear Cake

Print Recipe

Prep Time: 20 Minutes Cooking Time: 45 Minutes 45 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 4.1/5

( 17 voted )

Ingredients

½ cup (125g) unsalted butter
2 large firm pears (or 3 small)
1 cup (125g) all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
2 large eggs
¾ cup (150g) sugar + 2 tbsp for sprinkling
1 tsp Almond extract
3 tbsp (45ml) 2% Milk

Instructions

Make sure you read the cooking notes before you start.  

Preheat your oven to 350ºF (180ºC) with a rack in the middle.  Line an 8-inch or 9-inch (20-22.8cm) springform pan with parchment paper at the bottom and grease the sides with butter. 

Step 1 - Melt the butter in a saucepan and set aside to cool.

Step 2 - Peel and core the pears, then dice them into 1/2-inch (1.25cm) pieces.

Step 3 - In a small bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt.

Step 4 - In a large bowl, beat the eggs and sugar together until pale and a ribbon forms from the whisk (5-10minutes). Whisk in the almond extract and milk. Whisk in half of the melted butter and gently stir. Add in half of the flour mixture, gently stir. Stir in the remaining butter, then the rest of the flour mixture.

Step 5 - Fold in the pears until they are evenly coated with the batter. Scrape the batter into the prepared cake pan and smooth the top a little bit, with a spatula. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of sugar evenly over top of the batter.

Step 6 - Bake the cake for 45 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool for 15 minutes and remove it carefully from the pan. Enjoy warm or cool, on its own or served with crème fraiche

The post Classic French Pear Cake appeared first on Pardon Your French.

Cooking notes:

• The idea here is to play with seasonal Winter fruits. Pears, apples, clementines, kiwis and pomegranate are staples. But you can also substitute clementines with other citrus fruits (oranges, blood oranges, mandarines) or add other Winter fruits, such as pineapple, banana, mango or persimmon. Play around with different colors and textures.
• For pears, choose crisp varieties such as Bosc or Bartlett.
• For apples, choose a crunchy variety that won’t brown too quickly when sliced. Honey crisp, Fuji or pink lady are good choices.
• Start by cutting the apples and pears. As soon as they are cut, toss them with the juice of ½ a lemon so they don’t brown.

I hope you’ll love this Winter Fruit Salad recipe as much as I do! If you have any questions, please feel free to leave a comment. 

• Classic French Lemon Tart 
• Honey Lemon Marmalade
• Lemon Poppy Seed Yogurt Loaf
• Pêches Melba
• Peach & Blueberry Galette
• Classic French Tarte aux Fraises

Winter Fruit Salad

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Serves: 4-6 Prep Time: 20 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 5.0/5

( 4 voted )

Ingredients

2 firm pears, cored and cubed
2 crisp apples, cored and cubed
4 Clementines, peeled and segmented
2 kiwis, peeled and cubed
1 pomegranate, seeded
1 lemon, juiced
Optional: 1 to 2 tbsp honey

Instructions

Make sure you read the cooking notes before you start.

Step 1 - In a large bowl, combine the cubed pears and apples, and toss immediately with ½ of the lemon juice (so they don’t brown). Add the clementine segments, kiwi and half of the pomegranate seeds. Add the rest of the lemon juice and (optionally) the honey. Toss delicately to combine.

Step 2 - Serve in individual glasses, cups or bowls, and top each serving with a sprinkle of pomegranate seeds.

Notes...

This Winter Fruit Salad can be prepared up to 5 hours before serving. The lemon juice prevents the fruits from browning. After that, the fruits tend to soften and the salad won't really look fresh anymore.

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. This post may contain affiliate links. Please see my Privacy Policy & Disclosure page for more details.

The post Winter Fruit Salad appeared first on Pardon Your French.

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

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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! 

The post Pear Sauce Puff Pastry Fritters (Rissoles aux Poires) appeared first on Pardon Your French.

A comforting Autumn Cake…

In this recipe, I flavoured the cake with vanilla, and nestled poached seasonal pears in the batter to turn it into a comforting Autumn cake. As the batter is not overly sweet, it goes perfectly with the syrupy poached pears. 

I used bartlett pears (ripe), as they hold a great shape after being poached and baked (Bosc pears will work great too). For a quick version, you can use canned pears in syrup, and skip the poaching step.

It’s a delicious, homey cake – yet it’s elegant in its simplicity.

Poached Pear Vanilla Yogurt Cake

Print Recipe

Serves: 8 people Prep Time: 20 Minutes Cooking Time: 45 Minutes 45 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 3.8/5

( 19 voted )

Ingredients

For poaching the pears:
2 pears
1 cup (200g) sugar
3 cups (700ml) water
½ lemon
1 vanilla bean

For the cake batter:
½ cup (125g) unsalted butter butter, melted + 1 tbsp (14.5g) for the pan)
½ cup (143g) Greek yogurt or French-style yogurt
1 ½ cup (300g) sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups (375g) flour
1 ½ tsp (8g) baking powder
½ tsp salt
Icing sugar for decoration

Instructions

Make the poached pears. In a large pot, combine the sugar, water, zest and juice of the ½ lemon and vanilla bean. Bring to a simmer. Peel and cut the pears in half, remove the seeds and place them carefully in the simmering pot of syrup. Poach for 10 minutes (5 minutes on each side), until tender. Remove from the syrup and set aside in a plate to cool.

Make the cake batter. Pre-heat oven to 350F(180C) and grease a 9 inch springform pan with butter. Combine the melted butter with sugar. Mix in the yogurt, eggs and vanilla extract. Mix in the flour, baking powder and salt, until just incorporated.

Pour the batter in the pan. Cut pear halves in thin slices leaving one edge uncut. Place them on top of the cake (I was able to fit only 3 halves, fit 4 if you can). Dot not press them into the batter, they will set in as the cake bakes.

Bake for 45 minutes, until the cake is golden brown.

Let cool to room temperature and sprinkle with icing sugar before serving.  

If you try this Poached Pear Vanilla Yogurt cake recipe, let me know! Leave a comment or share a photo on Instagram.  Bon Appetit! 

The base recipe for the yogurt cake is adapted from The Kitchn. 

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