Tourtons du Champsaur represent the culinary specialty par excellence of the Champsaur Valley (High Alps, France).
They are small turnovers with a thin crust usually filled with potatoes and toma cheese, created as a festive dish (the “pillows of Jesus”) and have become the gastronomic symbol of the mountainous Mardi Gras.
Taxonomically framed as savory closed pastries (similar to Provençal barbajuans or Italian panzerotti), from the family of chaussons (filled pastries), characterized by an ultra-thin and crispy crust.
Although variants exist throughout the Alpine arc (like Monegasque Barbajuans or Savoyard Rissoles), the Tourton is distinguished by its starchy potato-based filling.
Technically, the recipe is marked by the contrast between a glassy crust (extremely thin and crispy) and a starchy filling based on a potato puree linked with mountain cheese.
Historically cooked by immersion in animal fat (lard), Tourtons are suited in modern times for adaptation via an air fryer, which replicates the Maillard reaction on the pastry surface without the calorie load of deep frying.
The dish is characterized by high versatility: although the potato and Tome du Champsaur variant is the standard reference, the preparation allows for variations in the filling (meat, spinach, or berries).
- Difficulty: Medium
- Cost: Cheap
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 20 Pieces
- Cooking methods: Air Frying
- Cuisine: French
- Seasonality: Carnival
Ingredients
- 17.5 oz all-purpose flour
- 2 eggs
- 3 tbsp melted butter
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2/3 cup water (lukewarm)
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 17.5 oz potatoes (mealy)
- 1 leek
- 5.3 oz mountain toma cheese
- 3 tbsp Crème Fraîche (cream)
- to taste salt and pepper
Tools
- 500
Steps
1. Dough Preparation
In a mixer with a hook (or by hand), mix flour, salt, eggs, melted butter, and oil. Start kneading while gradually adding the water. Work until you achieve a smooth, elastic dough, but not sticky.
2. Filling Preparation
Boil the potatoes with their skin, peel, and mash them while still hot. In a sauté pan, soften the finely chopped leek with a drizzle of oil without browning. Combine the potatoes with the sauté, cubed cheese (for uniform melting), cream, and salt and pepper. Let cool completely.
3. Shaping
Roll out the dough with a rolling pin or pasta machine to a thickness of 1/16 inch. Place small heaps of filling (about 20g each) spaced 2 inches apart. Cover with a second layer of dough.
Sealing: Press well around the filling to remove air (to avoid bursts during cooking). Cut into 2 x 2 inches squares with a serrated wheel.
4. Cooking in Air Fryer
Preheating: Set the Air Fryer to 375°F.
Spraying: Brush or spray the tourtons with vegetable oil on both sides.
Place in the basket (without overlapping) and cook for 8-10 minutes. Halfway through, flip the tourtons for even browning.For a colorful effect, brush with vegetable oil mixed with paprika.
Serve with green salad and garlic.
FAQ
What are the other variants of tourtons?
The most authentic and “ordinary” variant is the one based on mealy potatoes, chosen for their ability to create a homogeneous puree.
Cheese Variant (Standard): Potatoes bound with Tome du Champsaur, a pressed cow’s milk cheese that provides creaminess without releasing too much whey.
Rustic Variant: Known as Tourton au lard, replaces the cheese with a sauté of smoked bacon and leeks. This version is historically the oldest in the poorer areas of the valley.
Green Variant: Filling with spinach or chard (often assimilated to the Oreilles d’âne of Valgaudemar).
Sweet Variant: Apples or plums, served as a festive dessert.Do Tourtons du Champsaur resemble huushuur?
Technically, Tourtons du Champsaur show strong morphological and structural similarities with Mongolian Khuushuur (or huushuur), although they belong to distant gastronomic traditions.
Here is the technical comparison between the two preparations:
Structural Analogies
Plate Architecture: Both are defined as closed pastry turnovers (chaussons) consisting of a simple dough shell with a sealed filling inside.
Cooking Method: The preferred technique for both is deep frying, aimed at achieving a crispy, glassy crust characterized by typical surface bubbles caused by moisture evaporation.
Geometry: While Khuushuur often have a crescent shape more similar to buuz (but flat), the square or rectangular version of Tourtons recalls the “flat” variant of modern Khuushuur.
Substantial Differences
Filling Composition: Tourtons: Prevalence of starches (potatoes) bound with dairy lipids (cheese/cream) or vegetables (leeks).
Khuushuur: Prevalence of animal proteins (minced mutton or beef) with onion and garlic added.
Pasta Texture:The dough of the Tourtons is generally thinner and more crumbly, thanks to the presence of a fatty component (butter/oil) in the basic dough.
The dough of Khuushuur is often more elastic and sturdy (flour and water), similar to that of Asian dumplings.
In summary: We can define Tourtons as the Alpine vegetarian equivalent (in the standard version) of Khuushuur.
