Pear Sauce Puff Pastry Fritters
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…
- Prep time
- 20 min
- Cook time
- 31 min
- Yield
- 10 servings
- Difficulty
- EASY
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 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 (12x
- 10-inch)
- Vegetable oil, for frying
Instructions
- 1
Make sure you read the cooking notes before you start.
- 2
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.
- 3
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.
- 4
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.
- 5
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.
- 6
Line up a large plate with paper towels.
- 7
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.
- 8
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.
- 9
Transfer the fritters immediately to a plate and sprinkle them generously with icing sugar.
- 10
Best enjoyed within 2 hours.