Recipe: Fisée Pear Pie | Quiberville-sur-Mer and Auffay Tourist Office

A typical Norman All Saints' Day recipe

Fall is the peak season for Fisée pears! And I was given a big bag full of them, so since the opportunity is there, I took the opportunity to test the recipe for you!

Zoë

A little history

The Fisée pear pie is THE All Saints’ Day dessert par excellence in the Pays de Caux! From Fisée or Fizet, both spellings exist (among others I would say), not much is actually known about this variety of pear, except that it dates back according to written records to 1628, and that its geographical area of cultivation is limited to the north of the Seine-Maritime, in the Pays de Bray and part of the Pays de Caux, and a little in Picardy. The origin of the word would perhaps come from its shape of rocket, but nothing is less sure!

The particularities are its small size, and the impossibility of consuming it raw. Indeed it is very hard, and it is only after a long cooking, when the reddish color of its flesh will be revealed, that you can consume it.

Therefore, it is used exclusively to make the famous Pear Pie that we currently find and still for a few days on our markets and in our pastry bakeries. It is also suitable for Poires au Vin or for making Poiré, compotes and jams.

Let's get to the heart of the matter!

The ingredients

Puff pastry (bought or homemade, it’s as you prefer, as I had some in the fridge, I chose the quick one ^^)
2.5 kg of Poires de Fisée (Me I had a bit more, so I put it all in ^^)
120 g sugar
20 cl red wine
1 egg yolk to brown the dough

Some people add a clove and a vanilla bean.

The long awaited recipe

Peel the pears, and cut them into pieces.

Put them in a casserole dish with the red wine and sugar (along with the vanilla and cloves if you have them). For my part, I added a little water to the casserole, which is why it doesn’t come out as “red” as usual.

Remove and cover for a 20-30 minute slow cook, stirring regularly, until the pears have turned their beautiful pink color.

Then stop cooking, but let the pears soak up the juice for a good 3 hours. And yes, it’s earned 😉
Recook over low heat for a few minutes so that the juice evaporates while stirring.

Heat your oven to 210°C.
Place a circle of dough on a baking sheet or baste it in a pan.

Drain the pears with a colander to remove excess juice (and remove the vanilla bean as well as the clove if you put any in) then place them on the pastry base, packing them down well (it needs to be fairly compact).

Cover with the second pastry circle and spide the edges with a little water. Brush with egg yolk and bake for 20 to 25 minutes.

When the dough is golden brown, remove the pear pie from the oven.

So, will you take the plunge?

I invite you to test the recipe and post your photo on social media using #terroirdecaux!

In the meantime let’s get to tasting!

Personally I have a preference for tasting it while still warm, but you do as you please 😉

Good appetite!