Rissoles savoyardes — baked puff-pastry turnovers with pear compote
Rissoles savoyardes, also encountered under dialect names such as rzules or rézules, are small fruit-filled pastries rather than the fried meat rissoles known in other culinary traditions. Savoyard versions are strongly associated with pear or apple compote and can use puff pastry; pear is kept consistently here. The goal is a compact turnover with a real cooked-fruit centre, not a commercial jam pocket or a savoury fried parcel.
The filling starts with 1000 g firm cooking pears, ideally a local-style pear such as Blesson when available. Peeling and coring should leave about 800 g prepared fruit. That prepared weight goes into a wide saucepan with 150 g sugar, 15 g butter and 50 ml water and cooks slowly for 90 minutes. The endpoint matters more than a glossy appearance: the compote must hold a clear spoon track and show no free liquid. A wet filling will steam through the seams and soak the pastry.
The compote is spread out and cooled completely before assembly. The 500 g all-butter puff pastry stays cold, is rolled to 3 mm and cut into 20 rectangles about 8 × 12 cm. Each takes about 35 g filling. Once folded and sealed, the turnovers receive a thin egg-yolk wash and bake at 200 °C for 25 minutes. Deep colour on the top alone is not enough; the base and folded seam should also look fully baked. Fifteen minutes of cooling protects against the deceptively hot fruit centre.
