Name: Tourtière
Prep time: 55 min
Cook time: 1 h 30 min
Total time: 2 h 25 min
Yield: 8
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons of All Purpose Flour; 55 g of Butter; 2 Onions; 1 clove of Garlic; 1 kg of Ground Pork; 1 Potatoes; 560 ml of Chicken Broth; 1 pinch of Nutmeg; 1 pinch of Cloves; Salt; Black Pepper; Mezza teaspoon of Salt; 60 ml of Water; 1 teaspoon of Vinegar; 300 g of All Purpose Flour; 170 g of Butter; 1 Egg; 1 tablespoon of Water

Tourtière is the meat pie of French Canada and a fixture of the Québec réveillon, the late supper families share after Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve and again on New Year’s Eve. A buttery double crust encloses a filling of pork cooked with onion, a little potato and warm spices such as cloves and nutmeg.

The name comes from the tourtière, the deep dish it was baked in, and some link it to the tourte, the passenger pigeon once used in game pies. Every family has its own version: in Montréal it is usually made with ground pork, sometimes with veal or beef, while the Lac-Saint-Jean region bakes a much deeper pie of cubed meats.

It is served warm with homemade fruit ketchup, chili sauce or pickles, and since it freezes well many families bake several before the holidays.

Ingredients for 8 people

For the filling:

2 tablespoons of All Purpose Flour

55 g of Butter softened

2 Onions finely chopped

1 clove of Garlic finely chopped

1 kg of Ground Pork coarsely ground pork shoulder

1 Potatoes small, peeled and diced

560 ml of Chicken Broth

1 pinch of Nutmeg ground

1 pinch of Cloves ground

Salt to taste

Black Pepper to taste

For the pastry:

1/2 teaspoon of Salt

60 ml of Water ice-cold

1 teaspoon of Vinegar white

300 g of All Purpose Flour unbleached

170 g of Butter cold, unsalted, diced

For brushing:

1 Egg

1 tablespoon of Water

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Method

In a small bowl, rub the flour into half of the softened butter with your fingertips to make a smooth paste and set it aside. Melt the rest of the butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat and cook the onions, garlic and pork for about 10 minutes, breaking up the meat with a spoon, until it is no longer pink and the liquid has evaporated.

Add the diced potato, the chicken broth, the nutmeg and the cloves, and season with salt and pepper. Simmer gently for 30 minutes, until the potato is tender.

Stir in the flour and butter paste until it disappears, bring back to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes, until the filling has thickened. Taste for seasoning, transfer to a bowl and let cool, then cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

For the pastry, stir the salt into the ice-cold water and the vinegar until it dissolves. Put the flour in a food processor, add the cold diced butter and pulse a few times, until the pieces of butter are the size of peas. Add the water mixture and pulse just until the dough starts to clump, adding a few drops more water if it is too dry.

Divide the dough in two, shape each piece into a disc, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Place a rack in the lowest position of the oven and preheat it to 220 °C (425 °F). Beat the egg with the tablespoon of water. On a floured surface, roll out one disc of pastry and line a 23 cm (9 inch) pie plate with it. Spoon in the cold filling and brush the edge of the pastry with egg.

Roll out the second disc and cut a hole about 2 cm (3/4 inch) wide in the center, so the steam can escape. Lay it over the filling, trim and press the two edges together, then crimp them into a raised border. Brush the top with egg.

Bake for 40 minutes, until the pastry is deep golden. Let the tourtière rest for 10 minutes before cutting, and serve it warm with fruit ketchup, chili sauce or pickled beets. Finally, remember to download our App with exclusive content and fewer ads!

Variations and Alternatives

Replace part of the pork with ground veal or beef, as many families do, or add a pinch of cinnamon, allspice or dried savory to the spices. Some cooks bind the filling with mashed potato or breadcrumbs instead of the flour and butter paste. For a quicker pie, use two rounds of ready-made shortcrust pastry.

Tips

The filling must be completely cold before it goes into the pastry, or the bottom crust will turn soggy: making it the day before is easiest. Keep the butter and water for the pastry very cold and work the dough as little as possible, so it stays flaky. Baking on the lowest rack helps the base cook through.

Storage

The baked tourtière keeps in the fridge, covered, for up to 3 days; reheat it at 180 °C (350 °F) for about 20 minutes. Unbaked and tightly wrapped, it freezes for up to 1 month: thaw it overnight in the fridge and bake it as above, adding 15 to 20 minutes and covering the top loosely with foil if it browns too fast.

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Tourtière