The Ultimate 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.

THE ULTIMATE TOURTIERE

Steps:

• In large heavy saucepan, combine pork, water, onions, celery & garlic.
• Cook over medium-high heat until bubbling, stirring to break up the meat.
• Add salt, savoury, thyme, pepper, cloves and bay leaf.
• Reduce heat, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally for 30 minutes.
• Remove bay leaf.
• Stir in mashed potato, mixing well.
• Taste and add more salt & pepper if needed.
• Let cool, stirring occasionally(mixture will thicken as it cools.).
• Line pie plate with pastry.
• Fill with meat mixture.
• Cover with remaining pastry; seal and crimp edges; cut a few steam vents.
• Brush top crust with glaze.
• Bake in a 425 degree oven for 15 minutes; reduce heat to 375 and bake for 20 to 25 minutes longer or until golden brown.

FRENCH CANADIAN TOURTIERE DU LAC SAINT JEAN

Steps:

• In large glass bowl, toss together rabbit, vermouth, brandy, one-third each of the carrots and onions, the peppercorns, juniper berries, and small PINE and CEDAR branches. Cover and refrigerate for 24 hours, tossing occasionally.
• In Dutch oven, cook salt pork over medium high heat until browned and crisp, about 10 minutes; using slotted spoon, transfer to bowl. Drain off pork fat in pan, reserving 2 tablespoons for pastry.
• Discarding pine and cedar branches and reserving marinade, add rabbit to pan and brown on all sides; transfer to plate. Add half each of the remaining carrots and onions, celery, thyme, savory, salt and bay leaves; cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are softened, about 10 minutes.
• Pour in half of the reserved marinade and bring to boil, stirring to scrape up any brown bits on bottom of pan. Return rabbit and any accumulated juices and half of the salt pork to pan. Reduce heat to medium low; cover and simmer until rabbit is tender and juices run clear when rabbit is pierced, about 40 minutes. Let cool; discard bay leaves. (Make ahead: Refrigerate until cold. Remove meat from bones, discarding bones. Cover meat and pan liquid separately; refrigerate for up to 1 day.).
• Meanwhile, trim fat from duck; remove and discard wings. Cut into quarters. In Dutch oven, brown duck over medium high heat; transfer to plate. Drain off fat.
• Add remaining carrots, onions, celery, thyme, savory, salt and bay leaves; cook, stirring, until onions are softened, about 10 minutes. Pour in remaining marinade and bring to boil, stirring to scrape up any brown bits on bottom of pan.
• Return duck and any accumulated juices and remaining salt pork to pan. Reduce heat to medium low; cover and simmer until duck is tender, about 1 hour. Let cool; discard bay leaves. (Make ahead: refrigerate until cold. Remove meat from bones; discard skin and bones. Cover meat and pan liquid separately; refrigerate for up to 1 day.).
• PASTRY: Meanwhile, in large bowl, whisk flour with salt. Using pastry blender or 2 knives, cut in shortening and butter until mixture resembles fine crumbs with some large pieces. Whisk together 1 of the eggs, water and reserved pork fat; pour over flour mixture, stirring with fork until dough clumps together. Press into disc; wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled, about 2 hours. (Make ahead: Refrigerate for up to 3 days.).
• Cut rabbit and duck meat into bite size pieces; set aside. Skim off fat from pan liquid: set liquid aside.
• FILLING: In bowl, mix together beef, pork, veal, potatoes, onions, shallots, garlic, brandy, salt, thyme, savory and pepper.
• On floured surface, roll out pastry to 28 x 21 inch rectangle; fold in half twice lengthwise. Place in 1 end of 14 x 10 x 4 inch roasting pan; unfold pastry, fitting into corners and up sides of pan (there will be some overhang).
• Spoon half of the filling into pastry, pressing lightly to pack. Arrange rabbit and duck meat over top. Top with remaining filling. Pour reserved pan liquid over top, adding up to 3 cups water to come to top of filling. Fold overhang over filling, leaving opening in centre. Lightly beat remaining egg; brush over pastry.
• Bake in 350°F oven for 1 hour. Cover with foil; reduce heat to 250°F and cook for 5 hours. Remove foil; bake until golden and crusty and potatoes are tender, 30 minutes. Let stand for 15 minutes before serving. Makes 15 to 18 servings.
• Canadian Living Holiday Best.

TOURTIERE

Steps:

• To make the pastry, sift the flour with the salt and baking powder.
• With your fingertips, cut in the lard and butter until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
• Stir in the ice water. Form into a ball. Wrap in waxed paper and chill for 30 minutes.
• Place all the filling ingredients except the potato into a pot. Mix well. Simmer, covered, for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the pork is cooked.
• Add the mashed potato and mix well to eliminate any lumps. Taste for seasoning, adding salt, pepper or spices as needed.
• Cool. Preheat the oven to 375F (190C).
• Divide the pastry in half. Roll out half to fit a 9 inch (23 cm) pie plate.
• Add the filling. Cover with the remaining pastry. Make three or four incisions on top of the pastry to allow steam to escape. Bake for 45 minutes, or until the pastry is golden. Serve hot.