flipRissoles with Dried Fruit and Cheese
Rissoles with Dried Fruit and Cheese
Why this dish? Chrétien traveled between Troyes and the court of Flanders, and the Champagne fairs teemed with hungry merchants. Rissoles — small fried pastries eaten by hand, cold or hot — were the ideal travel snack.
Small fried pastry turnovers, filled with a mixture of cheese, figs, and dates scented with spices. Compact, nourishing, and easy to carry on the roads of Champagne.
For the road, friend, no delicate dish: we need something held in hand and eaten in the saddle. Here are rissoles, small pastries my household fries by the dozen before a journey. We chop figs, dates, and good cheese, season with a little cinnamon, and enclose this filling in a sealed pastry, then drop it into boiling oil. Slip them into your pouch: cold at a halt or hot from the pot, they sustain the traveler until the next town.
- •Wheat flour dough — as needed (wrapping)
- •Fresh or aged cheese — a good portion (savory filling)
- •Dried figs — a handful (sweet filling)
- •Dates — a few (sweet filling)
- •Cinnamon — a pinch (spice)
- •Lard or oil — for frying (cooking)
Rissoles with Dried Fruit and Cheese
Small fried pastry turnovers, filled with a mixture of cheese, figs, and dates scented with spices. Compact, nourishing, and easy to carry on the roads of Champagne.
Why this dish? Chrétien traveled between Troyes and the court of Flanders, and the Champagne fairs teemed with hungry merchants. Rissoles — small fried pastries eaten by hand, cold or hot — were the ideal travel snack.
For the road, friend, no delicate dish: we need something held in hand and eaten in the saddle. Here are rissoles, small pastries my household fries by the dozen before a journey. We chop figs, dates, and good cheese, season with a little cinnamon, and enclose this filling in a sealed pastry, then drop it into boiling oil. Slip them into your pouch: cold at a halt or hot from the pot, they sustain the traveler until the next town.
Ingredients (period version)
- Wheat flour dough — as needed (wrapping)
- Fresh or aged cheese — a good portion (savory filling)
- Dried figs — a handful (sweet filling)
- Dates — a few (sweet filling)
- Cinnamon — a pinch (spice)
- Lard or oil — for frying (cooking)
Ingredients
- Flour — 250 g (dough)
- Warm water + 1 tbsp oil — about 120 ml (dough)
- Grated hard cheese (like Tomme) — 120 g (savory filling)
- Chopped dried figs — 80 g (sweet filling)
- Chopped pitted dates — 60 g (sweet filling)
- Ground cinnamon — 1/2 tsp (spice)
- Frying oil — 1 L (cooking)
- Salt — 1 pinch (dough seasoning)
Method
- Make a soft dough with flour, water, oil, and salt; let it rest for 30 minutes.
- Mix grated cheese, figs, dates, and cinnamon for the filling.
- Roll out the dough thinly, cut into discs, place a spoonful of filling, fold over and seal edges well (moisten them).
- Heat oil to 170°C and fry the rissoles in small batches until golden brown.
- Drain on a cloth. Enjoy warm, or let cool to take along.
How it was made : Rissoles (or "roissoles") were small fried pastries, sweet or savory, very common in the Middle Ages. Lean-day versions replaced meat with fish, dried fruit, or cheese. Their sealed, fried form made them travel food and popular fair fare, sold even in markets.
The contemporary twist : Dust them with a veil of cinnamon and serve as warm appetizer bites: the traveler's snack becomes a festive mouthful.
Sources : Le Ménagier de Paris (recipes for rissoles) · Le Viandier · Bruno Laurioux, Manger au Moyen Âge
Chrétien de Troyes · Charactorium
