Tourtière, a traditional French-Canadian meat pie, is a staple dish enjoyed during the holiday season, especially around Christmas and New Year's Eve. This hearty and flavorful pie features a flaky crust encasing a savory filling typically made with ground pork, beef, or a combination of both. The filling is seasoned with a blend of aromatic spices, creating a symphony of flavors that tantalize the taste buds.
This article provides a comprehensive guide to making a delectable tourtière from scratch, including two variations: the classic pork and beef tourtière and a vegetarian version. The classic pork and beef tourtière recipe features a rich and savory filling made with ground pork, ground beef, onions, garlic, and a blend of spices. The vegetarian tourtière, on the other hand, offers a meatless alternative with a filling made from lentils, mushrooms, vegetables, and a flavorful combination of herbs and spices.
In addition to the tourtière recipes, this article also includes a recipe for a homemade tourtière spice mix. This blend of spices, consisting of savory herbs and aromatic spices, is essential for achieving the authentic flavor of tourtière. With this spice mix, you can easily elevate the taste of your tourtière and impress your family and friends with your culinary skills.
Whether you're looking to create a traditional meat-based tourtière or explore a delicious vegetarian alternative, this article has you covered. With detailed instructions and helpful tips, you'll be able to make a delectable tourtière that will become a cherished part of your holiday traditions.
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
CLASSIC TOURTIèRE OR QUéBEC PORK PIE
Steps:
- In a large, heavy frying pan, combine pork with cold water and heat to boiling point. It should be slightly soupy.
- Add onion, celery, pepper, bay leaf, savory, rosemary, nutmeg and cinnamon. Cook, covered, over medium-low heat for 1 1/4 hours; stir often. Add more water if mixture dries out.
- Halfway through cooking time, season with salt to taste.
- Stir in rolled oats and cook, stirring, for 1 to 2 minutes. Remove bay leaf and allow to cool. Setting the entire pot in the snow bank speeds up this process!
- Meanwhile, line two 9-inch pie plates with pastry. When meat mixture is lukewarm, divide it between two pie shells and spread it out evenly.
- Brush around outer edge of pastry with the beaten egg. Place top crust on the tart and press gently around the edge to seal. Trim pastry, crimp edges and cut steam vents in top crust. Decorate as desired.
- Bake in preheated 425°F oven for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 375°F and bake another 25 minutes or until crust is golden.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 450 kcal, Carbohydrate 22 g, Protein 19 g, Fat 31 g, SaturatedFat 11 g, Cholesterol 82 mg, Sodium 195 mg, Fiber 1 g, Sugar 1 g, ServingSize 1 serving
TOURTIERE (AKA MEAT PIE)
Steps:
- In a large saucepan, soften the garlic and onions in the oil. Add the pork and veal and continue cooking for about 15 minutes, stirring to crumble the meat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add the veal stock, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and potatoes and cook, stirring frequently, until the potatoes begin to fall apart, about 45 minutes. Let cool. Adjust the seasoning. Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours or until completely chilled.
- With the rack in the lowest position, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
- Line six 9-inch (23-cm) pie plates with the pastry. Cover with the cooled meat mixture. Cover with a second crust. Brush with egg wash. Make an incision in the center. Press the edge to seal with a fork or your fingers. Bake until the crust is golden brown, 50 minutes to 1 hour.
- In a food processor, combine the flour and salt. Add the butter and pulse for a few seconds at a time until the butter is the size of peas. Add the water and pulse again until the dough just begins to form. Add water as needed. Remove the dough from the food processor and form 2 discs. Cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate the dough for at least 30 minutes.
- Roll out the dough on a floured work surface or between 2 sheets of parchment paper in a 1/8-inch (3 to 4-mm) thick sheet. Use the dough to make a 2-crust pie or line two 9 to 10-inch (23 to 25-cm) pie plates. Yield: 2 pie crusts.
TOURTIERE SPICE MIX
Use this spice mix in the traditional French Canadian "pork pie" (Tourtiere)
Provided by Mikekey *
Categories Seasoning Mixes
Time 5m
Number Of Ingredients 8
Steps:
- 1. In a small bowl, combine all ingredients and mix well.
- 2. Store in a sealed jar.
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
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
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
TRADITIONAL FRENCH CANADIAN TOURTIERE
Originally from my grandma's recipe box, the secret of this delectable Christmas treasure is found in the ground cloves and chicken seasoning. We've always made our tourtieres en grand (in large quantity), as they freeze great making them a terrific quick fix throughout the busy holiday season!
Provided by kathleen
Categories Meat and Poultry Recipes Pork Ground Pork Recipes
Time 1h45m
Yield 64
Number Of Ingredients 11
Steps:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
- In a large pot, mix the pork, beef, onion, and water. Season with salt, pepper, allspice, cloves, cinnamon, and chicken seasoning. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer 30 minutes.
- Drain liquid from pot into a bowl. Transfer remaining meat mixture to a separate bowl and chill until ready to use. Place bowl with liquid in the refrigerator and chill 1 hour, or until fat has congealed on the surface.
- Scrape and discard fat from the chilled liquid. Spoon the meat mixture into pie crusts. Add 1 tablespoon of reserved liquid to each pie. (This prevents them from becoming to dry.) Place top crust on top of each pie and pinch edges to seal. Cut slits in top crust so steam can escape.
- Bake in preheated oven until golden brown, about 50 minutes. Serve immediately or freeze until ready to use.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 467.6 calories, Carbohydrate 23.1 g, Cholesterol 71.3 mg, Fat 31 g, Fiber 2.1 g, Protein 22.7 g, SaturatedFat 9.7 g, Sodium 588.2 mg, Sugar 0.4 g
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.
Tips:
- Use fresh, high-quality ingredients. This will make a big difference in the flavor of your tourtière.
- Make sure your meat is well-seasoned. The spice mix in this recipe is a great starting point, but you can also add your own favorite herbs and spices.
- Don't overcook the meat. The pork and beef should be cooked until they are just tender, but not dry.
- Use a good quality pie crust. You can make your own or use a store-bought crust. If you are using a store-bought crust, be sure to thaw it completely before using it.
- Don't overfill the pie crust. The filling should be mounded slightly in the center of the crust, but it should not be overflowing.
- Bake the tourtière until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbling. This will take about 1 hour and 15 minutes.
- Let the tourtière cool slightly 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 special occasion or a weeknight meal. With a little planning and effort, you can make a tourtière that your family and friends will love. So what are you waiting for? Give this recipe a try today!
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