The table of old times,
The Book of Recipes

Pear flesh pie

Period: 17th century / Category: dessert

La Varenne, The French Pastry Chef

Ingredients

for 6 persons :

  • 375 g of shortcrust pastry (or 2 packets of pure butter shortcrust pastry). If you prepare the shortcrust pastry yourself, you will need: 250 g of flour, 125 g of butter (take the butter out of the refrigerator 15 minutes before use), 10 cl of cold water and a pinch of salt
  • 1.5 kg of pears
  • 60 g of raisins
  • 1 organic lemon
  • 150g powdered sugar
  • 10 cl of water
  • 30 g of pine nuts
  • 1 teaspoon of powdered cinnamon
  • 1 egg yolk and a tablespoon of water

Utensils required : removable pie pan with hinge, rolling pin, cookie cutters for decorations.

The preparation

1- Prepare the shortcrust pastry: in a large bowl, put the flour, create a well in the center and add a pinch of salt. Cut the butter into small cubes and add them to the flour, then add the water . Work the dough with your fingers (or with a pastry mixer) until you obtain a homogeneous consistency and form a nice ball. The dough should be smooth and not sticky (add a little flour if necessary). Place the dough in the refrigerator 20 minutes before using it. Then, divide the ball of dough into two parts, one larger than the other: the larger one will be used to line the tart pan and the smaller one to make the lid and decorations.

2- Soak the raisins for thirty minutes in lukewarm water.

3- Wash and brush the lemon and collect the zest using a vegetable knife (avoid taking the white part which would cause bitterness). Place the zest in a pan of cold water, bring to the boil and cook for 1 minute. Remove the zest and immerse them in ice water.
4- In a small saucepan, prepare a syrup with 50 g of sugar and 10 cl of water and heat until simmering. As soon as the sugar has melted, add the lemon zest and sauté over very low heat for around ten minutes.

5- While the zest is preserved, peel and cut the pears into small pieces.
6- In a large bowl, mix the pears, drained grapes, candied lemon peel, pine nuts, 100 g sugar and cinnamon. Mix well and let sit for 20 minutes. Preheat the oven to 180° (fan).

7- Cut a circle of parchment paper to cover the bottom of the mold. Butter the edge of the mold well.

8- Take the shortcrust pastry, spread it into two disks. Line the mold with the larger one and reserve the smaller one which will serve as a lid. Using cookie cutters, cut out decorations for the shortcrust pastry cover.

9- Pour the mixture of pears, dried fruits and spices into the mold lined with dough, cover with the lid and seal the edges. Make a small hole in the center of the lid to act as a chimney so that steam can escape. Decorate and brush with the egg yolk diluted in a tablespoon of water.
10- Cook for one hour, monitoring the cooking. If the lid browns too much, cover the tart with aluminum foil without securing it.

Annotations

• Louis XIV, also known as the Sun King, was famous for his love of food and gardens. Among his many culinary passions, pears held pride of place. He appreciated this fruit so much that he encouraged the development of new varieties in the gardens of Versailles. Jean-Baptiste de La Quintinie, the head gardener of the Potager du Roi in Versailles, played a crucial role in the creation and cultivation of these varieties (he cited around 500 of them!).
• For this recipe, I advise you to use pears that are not too juicy. Conference pears are perfect, but you can also use the Louise Bonne, Alexandrine or Angélys varieties.