Gaspe Tourtiere Food

TOURTIèRE: A FRENCH-CANADIAN MEAT PIE RECIPE

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.

FRENCH CANADIAN TOURTIERE

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.

TOURTIERE (FRENCH CANADIAN MEAT PIE)

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.

TOURTIERE DU QUEBEC (FRENCH-CANADIAN MEAT PIE)

Steps:

• Place all the ingredients (except for pie shell) in a sauce pan and bring to boil and cook uncovered for 20 minutes over medium heat.
• Cool the meat mixture and pour in pastry lined pan. Note: I like to cool mine in refrigerator over night if time permits.
• Cover with the top crust, cut steam vents and bake in a 400F oven until golden, about 45 minutes.
• Freeze well.
• Note: If ground pork and ground veal cannot be found, you can use meatloaf mix which is all 3 meat but I'm not sure of the ratio.

TOURTIERE TURNOVERS

Steps:

• Pastry:.
• In a bowl wisk flour with salt. Using a pastry blender cut in cubed butter and lard until mixture resembles fine crumbs with a few larger pieces.
• In liquid measure, whisk egg and vinegar; add enough water to make 2/3 cup. Drizzle over dry ingredients, stirring briskly with a fork until ragged dough forms.
• Press into 2 discs.
• Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled, about 30 minutes.
• (Make-ahead: Refrigerate for up to 3 days. Makes enough for 2 9" pie crusts.
• Tourtiere turnovers:.
• In a large skillet, saute pork over medium-high heat, breaking up with fork until no longer pink, about 6 minutes. Add onion, garlic, celery,mushrooms,chicken stock,salt,pepper,thyme,cloves,cinnamon and bay leaf; bring to a boil.
• Reduce heat, cover and simmer until almost no liquid remains, about 10 minutes.
• Uncover, and cook until no liquid remains, another 5 minutes.
• Discard bay leaf and stir in potatoes.
• Let cool.
• Divide pastry in half.
• On floured surface roll out each to scant 1/4" thickness.
• For cocktail use 3" round cutter or for main course use 5" round cutter.
• Cut out circles, rerolling if necessary.
• For cocktail use 1 TBSP of pork mixture or for main course turnovers use 2 TBSPs of pork mixture.
• Place pork mixture in center of each circle. Lightly brush edge with water: fold over to create a half moon shape.
• Press edge with a fork to seal.
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
• Arrange racks on top and bottom third of oven.
• Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
• In a small bowl whisk 1 egg yolk with 1 TBSP water to brush over filled pastry
• Continue until all pastry and pork is used up.
• Place close together on prepared pans and brush with egg wash and cut steam vents in centers.
• Make-ahead: Freeze until firm, about 15 minutes. Layer between waxed paper in airtight container and freeze for up to 2 weeks.
• Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes.
• Reduce heat to 350 degrees; exchange cookie sheets top to bottom and bottom to top oven racks.
• Bake for an additional 15 minutes.

TOURTIERE

Steps:

• Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Fry the meat in batches until browned. Tip into a large bowl and set aside.
• Heat the remaining oil in the same pan, then add the onions, carrot, celery and garlic. Fry for 8-10 mins until softened. Add this to the meat.
• Simmer the wine in the pan for 10 mins to reduce. Tip in the meat and veg, then the spices, thyme, bay and stock. Cook for 30 mins, uncovered. Stir in the oats and simmer for 15 mins. Discard the bay, then season. Cool completely.
• Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Line a 20cm loose-bottom tin with the shortcrust pastry, pushing it into the sides of the tin. Leave 2cm of pastry overhanging and trim away the excess. Prick the bottom with a fork, cover with baking parchment and fill with baking beans. Bake for 15 mins. Remove the parchment and beans, and bake for another 15 mins until golden.
• Trim the edges with a serrated knife and pack in the meat filling. Brush some of the egg around the edge of the pastry, then drape the puff pastry over the top, trim the edges and crimp all the way round with a fork. Use the puff pastry offcuts to make decorations for the pie, if you like (or see tip, below). Brush with more egg and make 4-5 holes in the top. Can be frozen for up to six weeks at this stage. Defrost thoroughly before baking. Bake at 190C/170C fan/gas 5 for 40-50 mins. Leave to rest for 10 mins before serving.