Tourtière, a traditional French-Canadian dish, is a hearty and flavorful meat pie that is a staple of Québécois cuisine. Typically prepared during the holiday season, it features a flaky, golden-brown crust encasing a savory filling of pork, beef, and veal, seasoned with a blend of aromatic spices and herbs. The filling is often enriched with vegetables like potatoes, onions, and celery, adding a delightful textural contrast to the tender meat. This beloved dish is a testament to the rich culinary heritage of Quebec and is a must-try for anyone seeking an authentic taste of Canadian cuisine.
The article offers a comprehensive guide to making a classic tourtière, providing three variations to cater to different preferences. The first recipe presents the traditional version, using a combination of ground pork, beef, and veal for the filling. For those seeking a richer flavor, the second recipe incorporates duck or goose meat, adding a depth of flavor to the pie. The third recipe caters to vegetarians by providing a meatless alternative, using a blend of mushrooms, lentils, and vegetables to create a hearty and flavorful filling.
Each recipe includes detailed instructions, ensuring that even novice bakers can create this delectable dish. From preparing the flaky crust to assembling and baking the pie, the recipes offer step-by-step guidance to guarantee success. Additionally, the article provides helpful tips and tricks to elevate the tourtière, such as using a combination of butter and lard for a more tender crust and incorporating a splash of white wine or brandy to enhance the flavor of the filling.
Whether you are a seasoned cook or a culinary enthusiast seeking to explore new dishes, this article offers a delightful journey into the world of tourtière. With its comprehensive guide to making three variations of this classic French-Canadian dish, you can impress your family and friends with a homemade tourtière that embodies the spirit of Québécois tradition.
TOURTIERE (FRENCH CANADIAN MEAT PIE)
This French Canadian meat pie is hearty, satisfying, and easy to make so it's a great choice for a holiday main course. Visually impressive, relatively affordable, and best served at room temperature, so a tourtiere doesn't require any kind of precise timing.
Provided by Chef John
Categories Meat and Poultry Recipes Pork Ground Pork Recipes
Time 2h15m
Yield 8
Number Of Ingredients 28
Steps:
- Place flour, salt, and frozen butter slices into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse on and off until butter is about the size of peas, about 30 seconds. Stir vinegar into cold water; drizzle water/vinegar into the flour mixture. Pulse on and off until mixture is crumbly and holds together when you pinch a piece off, about 10 seconds. If dough isn't pressing together, drizzle in another teaspoon of water.
- Transfer mixture to a work surface. Press it together until it becomes a lump of dough. Wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until chilled, at least 1 hour.
- Mix salt, pepper, thyme, sage, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, mustard, clove, and cayenne together in a small bowl.
- Place potato quarters in a saucepan; cover with cold water. Add 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Bring to a boil over high heat; reduce heat. Simmer until cooked through, 10 to 15 minutes. Scoop out potatoes and transfer to a bowl; save cooking liquid. Mash potatoes with a potato masher.
- Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add chopped onion and a pinch of salt. Cook and stir until onions turn golden, 10 to 15 minutes.
- Stir garlic, celery, and spice blend into the skillet with onions. Stir until onion mixture is evenly coated with the spices, about 30 seconds. Add ground beef and ground pork. Ladle about 3/4 cup of the potato cooking liquid into the skillet.
- Cook and stir until meat is browned and has a very fine, almost pastelike texture. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until meat is tender and most of the liquid has evaporated, about 45 minutes. Stir in mashed potatoes. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
- Divide chilled dough into 2 pieces, one just slightly larger than the other. Roll the larger piece out into a 12-inch circle on a lightly floured work surface. Place in a 9-inch deep dish pie plate. Roll top crust out into a circle about 11 inches in diameter. Cut small slits in the top crust to allow steam to escape.
- Fill bottom crust with the meat mixture; smooth out the surface. Whisk egg and water together to make egg wash. Brush edges of the bottom crust with egg wash. Place top crust on the pie and press lightly around the edges to seal. Trim excess dough from the crust. Crimp the edges of the crust. Brush entire surface of the pie with egg wash.
- Place in preheated oven. Bake until well browned, about 1 hour. Let cool to almost room temperature before serving.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 663 calories, Carbohydrate 47.3 g, Cholesterol 159.2 mg, Fat 40.5 g, Fiber 2.6 g, Protein 26.9 g, SaturatedFat 21.4 g, Sodium 1074 mg, Sugar 1.5 g
TOURTIERE DE FLEUR-ANGE (FLEUR-ANGE'S PORK PIE)
Steps:
- In a large, heavy saucepan over medium heat, combine pork, water, celery and leaves, onions, garlic, parsley, savory, cinnamon, cloves, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes, adding more water, if necessary, to prevent mixture from drying. Adjust seasoning, if necessary. Let cool.
- Line two 8-inch pie plates with pastry and fill with meat mixture. Roll out top crusts, cutting a generous vent in the centre of each. (Mme Fleur-Ange Rochon always cut her vents in the shape of an evergreen tree.) Cover each pie with top crust, trim pastry, crimp the edges to seal, and cut small steam vents. Brush top of pastry with egg yolk and milk mixture.
- Bake pies in a preheated 400 degree F oven for 35 to 40 minutes or until crust is golden. Serve either hot or cold with pickles or relish.
- Tip: Meat pies may be made ahead and refrigerated. Unbaked pies may be refrigerated for 24 hours, or frozen. Thaw in refrigerator before baking.
- For Pastry:
- In a bowl, mix 2 cups sifted, all-purpose flour with 1/4 teaspoon salt. With pastry blender or 2 knives, cut in 3/4 cup chilled, cubed shortening or lard until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Measure 1/4 to 1/3 cup ice water. Sprinkle over mixture, a spoonful at a time, stirring with a fork, adding just enough water so dough holds together. Shape into a ball, press into a flat disc, wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour. Leftover pastry can be frozen for later use.
TOURTIèRE
This savory French-Canadian meat pie combines ground pork and warm spices with chunks of braised pork shoulder and shreds of chicken or turkey. But you could make it with leftover brisket, with venison, with smoked goose or ham. Traditionally it is served with relish or tart, fruity ketchup - I like this recipe for cranberry ketchup best, though I use a splash of fresh orange juice instead of the concentrate it calls for. "I've never had a slice of tourtière and spoonful of ketchup and not liked it," David McMillan, the bearish chef and an owner of Joe Beef in the Little Burgundy section of Montreal, told me. "I especially love a tourtière made by someone who can't really cook."
Provided by Sam Sifton
Categories pies and tarts, main course
Time 6h
Yield 6 to 8 servings
Number Of Ingredients 26
Steps:
- Make the dough. In a food processor, pulse together the flour and salt. Add butter and lard in stages, pulsing until the mixture forms bean-size pieces. Slowly add ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, and pulse until the dough just comes together. It should be moist but not wet.
- Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and gather into two balls. Flatten each into a disk with the heel of your hand. Cover tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 2 days.
- Make the pork shoulder. Season the pieces of pork aggressively with salt and pepper. Put 1 tablespoon of the oil into a large, deep skillet or Dutch oven, and set it over medium-high heat. When the oil shimmers, sear the meat on all sides until browned, turning as necessary, 10 minutes.
- Add the allspice berries and cinnamon sticks, and stir to toast them, then add the beer. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover the pan and simmer steadily until the pork is very tender, 45 minutes to an hour. (When the pork is done, you can allow it to cool in its liquid and refrigerate it for one or two days before using.)
- Make the chicken or turkey. Heat oven to 325. Season the chicken or turkey thighs aggressively with salt and pepper, then roast in a cast-iron pan or shallow baking tray until their skin is crisp and they have cooked through, approximately 1 hour. (The chicken or turkey, too, may be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator before using.)
- Make the pie filling. Melt the butter in a large, heavy-bottomed Dutch oven set over medium heat, and when it foams, add the onions, garlic and parsley. Cook, stirring often, until soft, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the mushrooms, and cook, stirring often, until they are soft and have given up their liquid, 5 to 7 minutes. Add wine or stock, and stir to deglaze the pan, then cook until the liquid has evaporated, 5 minutes.
- Add the ground pork and the spices, and cook until the pork has lost its pinkness, 5 to 7 minutes. Add grated potato, and cook another 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Shred the cooked chicken or turkey into the pot along with the cooked pork and about 1/2 cup of its braising liquid, stir lightly to combine and season to taste with salt and pepper. Chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour and up to a day.
- Assemble the pie. Place a large baking sheet on the middle rack of oven, and heat to 400.
- Remove one disk of dough from the refrigerator, and using a pin, roll it out on a lightly floured surface until it is roughly 10 to 11 inches in diameter. Fit this crust into a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate or cast-iron pan, trimming it to leave an overhang. Place this plate, with the dough, in the freezer.
- Roll out the remaining dough on a lightly floured surface until it is roughly 10 to 11 inches in diameter.
- Remove pie crust from freezer, and put the chilled filling into it. Cover with remaining dough. Press the edges together, trim excess, then crimp the edges. Using a sharp knife, cut three or four steam vents in the top of the crust. Paint the pie's top with the egg wash.
- Place pie in oven on hot baking sheet, and cook for 20 minutes, then reduce temperature to 350, and cook until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbling, about 30 to 40 minutes more. Let cool 20 minutes before serving.
TOURTIèRE: A FRENCH-CANADIAN MEAT PIE RECIPE
Tourtière, also known as pork pie or meat pie, is a combination of ground meat, onions, spices, and herbs baked in a traditional piecrust.
Provided by Grow a Good Life
Categories Main Course
Time 1h
Number Of Ingredients 17
Steps:
- Combine flour and salt in a large bowl.
- Cut in butter or lard until mixture is a rough crumbly texture.
- Add ice water one tablespoon at a time and mix just until the dough comes together.
- Shape the dough into a ball, flatten, wrap, and chill in the refrigerator. While pastry is chilling, prepare the filling.
- Peel and cut potatoes into 2-inch chunks, add them to a medium saucepan, and fill with water until it covers the potatoes by 2-inches.
- Bring the saucepan to a boil over high heat and then reduce the heat to medium-high and boil until the potatoes are until tender, about 12 minutes.
- Reserve 1/2-cup of potato water and drain the rest. Mash potatoes and set aside.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat.
- Add olive oil, onions, and garlic, and sauté until softened, about 3 minutes.
- Add the ground beef and pork and cook until the meat is no longer pink. Drain off excess fat.
- Add the poultry seasoning, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, salt, pepper, and reserved potato water. Mix well and simmer for about 10 minutes until the liquid is absorbed.
- Remove the skillet from the heat, stir in mashed potatoes, and set the filling aside to cool slightly.
- Preheat oven to 400°F/205°C
- On a lightly floured surface, divide dough in half and flatten one ball of dough with your hands. Roll dough to about 12-inches in diameter to fit a 9-inch pie pan.
- Place the pastry into the pie plate and add the meat filling. Brush around the outer edge of the pastry with the beaten egg.
- Roll out the top pastry and place on top of the filling. Fold the top crust under the bottom crust and pinch or flute the edges. Brush with egg wash and cut vent holes.
- Bake the pie in a preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown.
- Remove the tourtière from oven and let it cool at least 10 minutes before serving.
- Yield: Makes 1 pie, about 8 servings.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 520 kcal, ServingSize 1 serving
TOURTIERE (FRENCH MEAT PIE)
My husband's cousin who is married to a Canadian made this pie and brought it to a family reunion years ago. Always looking for food that can be either eaten from the hand or requires only a fork, I started making it for our group that tailgates together and it is a huge hit and I am asked for the recipe all the time. The...
Provided by Marsha Gardner
Categories Savory Pies
Number Of Ingredients 16
Steps:
- 1. Heat oven to 400-degrees. In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, combine pork, onion, salt, and water. Simmer gently, stirring often, until all liquid evaporates, about 4 hours. Stir in spices. Add potatoes and beat well to combine thoroughly. Line a pie plate with one crust. Spoon in pork/potato mixture. Add top crust and flute the edges. Brush the top with milk and prick with a fork. Bake 30 minutes.
- 2. PIECRUST: In a large bowl, combine flour and salt. Cut shortening in, until pieces are about the size of a pea. Add egg, vinegar, and ice water. Work mixture into a soft, cohesive dough ball. Divide in half, and put one half aside for another pie (or freeze). Cut other dough mass in half. On a work surface dusted with flour, roll out bottom and top crusts. Yield: 2 two-crust pies
- 3. The crust recipe works out well for me because I usually make 2 pies. When I am only making one pie I line disposable pie tins with crust and freeze. When frozen I slip in zip lock bags and place back in freezer for a quick and easy pie crust.
FRENCH CANADIAN TOURTIERE
Traditional French Canadian Tourtiere (meat pie), served on Reveillon (Christmas Eve).
Provided by Rayna Jordan
Categories Meat and Poultry Recipes Pork Ground Pork Recipes
Time 2h
Yield 8
Number Of Ingredients 11
Steps:
- In a saucepan, combine pork, beef, onion, garlic, water, salt, thyme, sage, black pepper and cloves. Cook over medium heat until mixture boils; stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to low and simmer until meat is cooked, about 5 minutes. Allow to cool to room temperature.
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
- Spoon the meat mixture into the pie crust. Place top crust on top of pie and pinch edges to seal. Cut slits in top crust so steam can escape. Cover edges of pie with strips of aluminum foil.
- Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes; remove foil and return to oven. Bake for an additional 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool 10 minutes before slicing.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 404.6 calories, Carbohydrate 22.1 g, Cholesterol 55.3 mg, Fat 26.6 g, Fiber 1.9 g, Protein 18.4 g, SaturatedFat 8.1 g, Sodium 748.9 mg, Sugar 0.7 g
MEAT PIE (TOURTIERE)
French Canadian Tourtiere. Contains pork, potatoes, onions and spices.
Provided by Maggie Rogers
Categories Meat and Poultry Recipes Pork Ground Pork Recipes
Yield 8
Number Of Ingredients 12
Steps:
- Bake the potato until done, 30 - 45 minutes in a preheated 400 degrees F (205 degrees C) oven. Peel and mash the potato.
- Place the potato, ground pork, onion, spices and water in a large frying pan and simmer until very thick, for about one hour.
- Meanwhile, prepare your pastry.
- Line a deep-dish pie plate with pastry. Spoon in filling, spreading evenly. Cover with top crust.
- Brush with beaten egg and sprinkle with paprika, if desired. Cut steam vent. Bake for 50 minutes at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). If edges brown too fast, cover with a strip of foil. Serve warm.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 485.4 calories, Carbohydrate 30.5 g, Cholesterol 84.5 mg, Fat 32 g, Fiber 1.7 g, Protein 17.9 g, SaturatedFat 8.9 g, Sodium 565 mg, Sugar 2.9 g
Tips:
- Use high-quality ingredients for the best flavor. This includes using fresh, locally sourced meat and vegetables.
- Make sure to brown the meat well before adding it to the pie. This will help to develop flavor and prevent the meat from becoming dry.
- Be careful not to overmix the dough. Overmixing will make the dough tough.
- Chill the dough for at least 30 minutes before rolling it out. This will help to prevent the dough from sticking to the rolling pin.
- Brush the edges of the dough with water before sealing the pie. This will help to create a good seal and prevent the pie from leaking.
- Bake the pie at a high temperature for the first 15 minutes, then reduce the temperature to finish baking. This will help to create a golden brown crust and prevent the pie from becoming dry.
- Let the pie cool for at least 15 minutes before serving. This will help the filling to set and make it easier to slice.
Conclusion:
Tourtière is a delicious and hearty dish that is perfect for a winter meal. With its flaky crust and savory filling, it is sure to be a hit with your family and friends. So next time you are looking for a new recipe to try, give tourtière a try. You won't be disappointed!
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