Pear and Fontina Quiche with homemade pie dough. Perfect for breakfast, brunch, lunch, or light dinner, you can make it with my easy pie dough, or use a store-bought one, instead. Pear and cheese is a classic Italian combination, intriguing and absolutely delicious. Easter is approaching, try it for Easter brunch!
Song of the day: SNAP - Italian by Rosa Linn, Alfa
Pear and Fontina?
"Al contadino non far sapere quanto è buono il formaggio con le pere" is an old Italian saying which translates into "Do not let the farmer know how good is the cheese with the pears". Why's that? Some say it is because the nobles wanted to keep this unusual and amazing discovery something exclusive to them.
On the other hand, we want to share with everybody that the pairing cheese and pears is delightful. Try this combination also on a charcutery board, in salads, as a sauce for pasta, on a tartine, or in a crostata.
First, make the pie dough
Surely, you can use store-bought puff pastry or pie dough, but this homemade "pasta brisée" is quick and quite easy to make. Here is how it's done:
- In a bowl, or the bowl of a food processor, work the flour with the cubed cold butter until you have pea-size pieces.
- Then, add the salt and the cold water. Work all the ingredients quickly for a few minutes.
- Form a ball and wrap it with cling wrap. Leave it to rest for 1 hour in the refrigerator.
Second, prepare the pears
- Peel the pears, cut them in half, then into quarters and wedges, and marinate them in lemon juice for 5-10 minutes.
- In a pan, soften the butter, add the pears, and season with salt and pepper.
- Cook for about 10 minutes, or until soft. Set aside to cool.
Third, make the egg cream and assemble the quiche
- Take the dough out of the fridge and roll it out with a rolling pin on a sheet of parchment paper dusted with flour.
- Place the stretched dough in the prepared baking pan (I used a 22 cm round silicone pan) and prick the bottom of the dough with a fork.
- Arrange the pears at the bottom of the pie dough, leaving some for the top. Sprinkle the pears with a layer of grated Fontina.
- In a bowl mix the egg, yolk, cream, and milk. Season with salt and pepper.
- Pour this cream onto the layer of fontina that covers the pears.
- Fold the edges over the filling a little, or cut the excess dough around.
Lastly, bake the quiche
- Bake the quiche for 40-45 minutes in a preheated oven at 180°C/350°F. Check with a skewer if the custard is set. Take out of the oven and let cool on a rack.
- When cooled off completely, unmold the Pear and Fontina Quiche, and place on a cake stand. Cut and serve.
The taste test
I love this crust: buttery, crispy and delicate. A perfect pairing to the luscious egg cream, melted Fontina, and those beautiful caramelized pear. The amazing thing is the play of sweet and savory is perfectly balanced, along with a nice bite on the pear. All in all, this Pear and Fontina Quiche with homemade pie dough is totally a win win recipe, and I definitely can see this for Easter brunch!
Enjoy!
PrintPear and Fontina Quiche with homemade pie dough
Pear and Fontina Quiche with homemade pie dough. Perfect for breakfast, brunch, lunch, or light dinner, you can make it with my easy pie dough, or use a store-bought one, instead. Pear and cheese is a classic Italian combination, intriguing and absolutely delicious. Easter is approaching, try it for Easter brunch!
- Total Time: 1 hour 55 minutes
- Yield: 6-8 people 1x
Ingredients
For the pie dough:
- 200 g flour
- 100 g butter
- 70 ml cold water
- ½ tsp salt
For the pears:
- 3 pears
- the juice of 1 lemon
- 30 g butter
- a dash of salt & pepper
For the quiche:
- 180 g Fontina, grated, cubed, or sliced
- 100 ml milk
- 100 ml heavy cream
- 1 egg
- 1 egg yolk
- Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
For the pie dough:
- In a bowl, or the bowl of a food processot, work the flour with the cubed cold butter until you have pea-size pieces.
- Then, add the salt and the cold water. Work all the ingredients quickly for a few minutes.
- Form a ball and wrap it with cling film. Leave it to rest for 1 hour in the refrigerator.
For the pears:
- Peel the pears, cut them into wedges and marinate them in lemon juice for 5-10 minutes.
- In a pan, soften the butter, add the pears, season with salt and pepper, and cook for about 10 minutes, until soft. Set aside to cool.
Assemble the quiche:
- Take the dough out of the fridge and roll it out with a rolling pin on a parchment paper dusted with flour.
- Place the stretched dough in the prepared baking pan (I used a 22 cm round pan) and prick the bottom of the dough with a fork.
- Arrange the pears at the bottom of the pie dough, leaving some for the top.
- Sprinkle the pears with a layer of grated Fontina.
- In a bowl mix the egg, yolk, cream, and milk. Season with salt and pepper.
- Pour this cream onto the layer of fontina that covers the pears. Fold the edges over the filling a little.
- Bake the quiche for 40-45 minutes in a preheated oven at 180°C/350°F.
- Take out of the oven and cool on a rack.
- Slice and serve.
Notes
You can make the pie dough by hand, or use a food processor. If you don't want to use the pie dough right away, wrap it in plastic and store in the fridge. Use it within 3 days of preparation. You can freeze it, too, for up to 1 month.
- Prep Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Breakfast, brunch
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian
Keywords: pears, fontina, quiche, eggs, cream, brunch, italian, sweet and savory, homemade, easter, delicious
I love baking and kneading dough because it takes me to a happy place in my soul.
Bernice says
You guys! I'm in love with this quiche. It looks so perfect and yet so rustic. The pear/fontina combination is a knockout and I'd thrilled to make this for our Easter brunch this weekend. Thanks for the great recipe!
Thank you, Bernice! We loved this quiche and can't wait for you to try it! Enjoy!
Emily Flint says
When I saw this recipe, I knew I had to try it! Pear and cheese are one of my favorite combinations and this quiche was delicious. I'm definitely making this again for Easter Sunday.
★★★★★
Thank you! So happy you loved it and want to make it again!
Elizabeth says
This sounds and looks like something I would order at a restaurant. This would be such a crowd pleaser!
★★★★★
Thanks! It has a restaurant quality but it is not that difficult to make. Hope you try it!
Jamie says
Wow! This pie looks so yummy! A perfect treat for any time of the day! I totally love the Italian combination it makes this so enticing and tempting! Loved it!
★★★★★
Thank you! Quite a delightful combination, let us know howyou like it ;).
Debbie says
This Pear and Fontina Quiche sounds fantastic. I love the thought of the sweet pear in contrast with the tangy cheese. I can't wait to try it .
★★★★★
Pear and cheese is a wonderful combo. Can't wait for you to try! Thank you!
Jenny says
A great recipe. Nothing beats a good quiche. A favorite in our house, we make them almost every week. Your ingredient combination is new to me, and I love it. How did I not think about how well pears go with Fontina cheese? And I love the crust recipe; it is a little different than mine, probably better, and I can't wait to try it. Thank you so much.
★★★★★
Thank you so much for the comment! Cannot wait for you to try, hope you love it as much as we do!
Enriqueta E Lemoine says
This quiche was one of the side dishes of my Easter meal. I got a lot of compliments. I have to say the fontina and pear are a match made in Heaven. Thank you for the recipe and the inspiration.
★★★★★
Thank you for the feedback! Yes, it is quite an unusual and amazing combination. Happy it was appreciated!
Tammy says
This is a gorgeous quiche. The crust is thick and flaky and the combo of pear and cheese is delicious...a perfect spring recipe for upcoming brunches!
★★★★★
Thanks so much! You described it well, can't wait for you to try!
Dennis says
Your recipe was easy to follow and made a perfect pie crust for my apple pie!
★★★★★
Wow, thank you for using the pie recipe for your apple pie 😉 !
Amy Liu Dong says
This is such a great-looking pie, it looks yummy and very delicious! And the homemade pie is just so perfect! Totally love this!
★★★★★
Thank you very much!!