This delicious French meat pie is a Christmas tradition in my home. It is filled with ground pork, onion, garlic, mushroom, celery, and a blend of all-spices, thyme and parsley. The flaky pastry is tender with a buttery flavour each bite.
This French traditional meat pie originated in Quebec, Canada and is served during the Christmas holidays. The ground meat that is often used in this dish tends to be pork, however, other ground meats are used. My first experience of eating Tourteire is with my close friend Sylvia who grew up in Quebec. I so enjoyed it and had to make one myself.
There are variations of a French Tourtiere, by using either ground pork, beef, or veal. The spices are similar, but again, slight differences. This recipe has an abundance of flavours, and it happens to be my favourite. It freezes really well, and you can bake it to freeze or freeze it unbaked, either way works. This pie can be served with a salad or mash potatoes.
Tourtiere
Ingredients
- 2 lb ground pork (option: 1/2 lb gr. pork and 1/2 lb gr. beef)
- 1 cup beef/chicken/vegetable stock
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup mushroom, chopped
- 1 cup celery, finely chopped
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 1/4 tsp allspice
- 1/4 tsp thyme
- 1 cup bread crumbs
- 1/2 cup parsley, chopped
Pastry for double-crust pie (found in dessert menu)
- 1 egg, beaten
Instructions
- In a large skillet, add pork until fully cooked about 8 minutes, breaking up with wooden spoon. Drain off any excess fat.
- Stir in stock, onions, garlic, mushrooms, celery, salt, pepper, cinnamon, cloves, allspice and thyme. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Simmer for about 30-40 minutes until there is a little bit of liquid left.
- Stir in bread crumbs and parsley. Adjust the seasonings if necessary. Set aside to cool.
- Prepare the pastry crust, and set in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes to rest.
- Roll out one disc of pastry to fit a 9 inch pie plate. Lay the pastry on the bottom of the pie plate. Spoon filling into pie shell. Cover the top with pastry and trim and create flute edges to seal.
- Brush beaten egg over pastry. Cut decorative shapes from remaining pastry and arrange on top or makes slits and an opening for the center before laying onto the pie to allow stream to escape.
- Bake at 375°F for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool for 10-15 minutes before serving.
Nutrition
Cook your ground meat until there is no pink. Add the remaining ingredients and cook for another 30-40 minutes. This will allow most of the liquid to evaporate. Check your seasonings at this time, and adjust if needed. Then add the bread crumbs to absorb the remaining liquid.
Once your pastry has been rolled out, now it’s time to fill your pie shell. Add the top layer and egg wash the crust for a golden colour crust. Bake for 40 minutes. Allow to sit for 10 minutes before cutting.
Bake the tourtiere for 40-45 minutes or until the crust is golden in colour. Let it sit for 10-15 minutes before serving. Enjoy!
