This traditional Tourtière is the heart and soul of French-Canadian cuisine, offering a deeply savory and comforting experience. The filling combines tender pork (often mixed with veal) and potatoes, seasoned with aromatic spices like cinnamon, cloves, allspice, and thyme. The result is a rich, hearty texture that is both rustic and elegant. Perfect for holiday gatherings, Sunday dinners, or cozy winter evenings, this dish brings warmth and tradition to your table. The flaky butter-lard pastry encases the moist, spiced meat mixture, creating a satisfying contrast in every bite. It serves beautifully as a main course, allowing the robust flavors of the spices and slow-cooked meats to shine through.
Susan Purdy’S Tourtiere (French Canadian Pork
Description
This traditional Tourti&# 195;¨re is the heart and soul of French-Canadian cuisine, offering a deeply savory and comforting experience. The filling combines tender pork (often mixed with veal) and potatoes, seasoned with aromatic spices like cinnamon, cloves, allspice, and thyme. The result is a rich, hearty texture that is both rustic and elegant. Perfect for holiday gatherings, Sunday dinners, or cozy winter evenings, this dish brings warmth and tradition to your table. The flaky butter-lard pastry encases the moist, spiced meat mixture, creating a satisfying contrast in every bite. It serves beautifully as a main course, allowing the robust flavors of the spices and slow-cooked meats to shine through.Ingredients
Directions
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Roll out half of the butter-lard pastry dough on a lightly floured surface to a thickness of 1/8 inch.
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Fold the dough into quarters, lift it, and position it into a pie plate.
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Trim a 1/2 inch overhang from the edges, brush the inside of the crust with the egg glaze, and refrigerate while preparing the filling.
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In a frying pan, sauté the chopped onion in oil or margarine until transparent.
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Add the minced garlic and sauté for 1 minute, then add the minced pork.
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Sauté the pork for about 3 minutes, then add the veal (if using) and cook until the meats are browned, breaking up any clumps with a wooden spoon.
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Add about 1/2 cup of stock, cover the pan, and simmer for about 15 minutes to cook the meat through.
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Uncover the pan and remove all but 2 or 3 tablespoons of the meat juice and stock.
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Stir in the chopped boiled potatoes, celery leaves, parsley, thyme, rosemary, allspice, pepper, cloves, cinnamon, and salt.
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Taste and adjust seasoning, adding just enough additional stock to moisten the mixture without making it watery.
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Spoon the filling mixture into the prepared pastry shell.
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Brush the overhang of the lower crust with egg glaze.
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Roll out the remaining dough on a floured surface, fold into quarters, and place over the filling.
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Trim a 3/4 inch overhang, fold the top edge under the bottom crust, and pinch together to seal, creating a raised rim.
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Flute the edge as desired and cut vents in the top crust to allow steam to escape.
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Bake in the lower third of a preheated 425ðF (218ðC) oven for 15 minutes.
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Reduce heat to 350ðF (177ðC), move the pie to the center of the oven, and bake for 45 to 55 minutes longer until golden brown.
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Check halfway through baking; cover edges with foil if they brown too quickly.
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Cool slightly on a wire rack before serving hot or warm.
Nutrition Facts
Servings 6
- Amount Per Serving
- Calories 0.0kcal
- % Daily Value *
- Total Fat 0.0g0%
- Saturated Fat 0.0g0%
- Cholesterol 0.0mg0%
- Sodium 0.0mg0%
- Total Carbohydrate 0.0g0%
- Dietary Fiber 0.0g0%
- Sugars 0.0g
- Protein 0.0g0%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily value may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Note
The ingredients list provided in the source was incomplete, but the directions contained the full recipe. Ensure you have: 1 large yellow onion chopped, 2-3 tbsp oil/margarine, 1 clove garlic minced, 1.5 lbs raw pork (or 1 lb pork + 0.5 lb veal), 1 cup pork/gravy/stock, 1 lb potatoes (boiled, peeled, chopped), 1 tbsp chopped celery leaves (optional), 2 tbsp parsley chopped, 1/4 tsp thyme, 1/4 tsp rosemary or savory, 1/8 tsp ground allspice, 1/8 tsp ground pepper, 1/8 tsp ground cloves, 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon, and salt to taste.
For the pastry, a traditional butter-lard pastry is recommended for the best flakiness and flavor. If unavailable, a standard pie crust can be substituted.
Tourtière freezes well. You can assemble the pie and freeze it unbaked, then bake from frozen, adding 15-20 minutes to the baking time. Alternatively, bake and freeze, then reheat in the oven.
If the filling seems too dry after simmering, add small amounts of stock until the desired consistency is reached. It should be moist but not soupy.
