This minced meat pie is a traditional French-Canadian dish, an essential part of Québecois winter holiday celebrations. The buttery crust is made in the French style, and the pie is sometimes served with a dollop of tomato chutney. In the United States, tourtières are made for special occasions by families with French-Canadian ancestry, primarily along the northeastern Atlantic coast or in the bayou region of the US South. The pie, usually made with minced pork, beef or veal, is often served as a traditional dish to celebrate the Christmas holiday season.
Recipe Servings: 6
Prep Time
20 minutes
+ 2 hours 5 minutes resting
+ 2 hours 5 minutes resting
Cook Time
1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time
3 hours 55 minutes
Vegetarian
Vegan
Gluten Free
Dairy Free
Kosher
Halal
Ingredients
Filling:
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 1 lb ground pork
- 1 lb ground beef
- 2 medium-to-large baked potatoes, mashed with skins removed
- ¾ cup beef or vegetable broth or water
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- ½ tsp ground cloves
- 1 tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
Crust:
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 2½ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 cup ice cold water, divided, plus more as needed
Assembly:
- 1 egg
- 1 Tbsp water
Directions
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet or wok over medium heat.
- Add the onion and sauté for about 10 minutes, until the onions have softened and become golden.
- Combine the ground pork and beef in a large bowl and mix thoroughly by hand.
- Add the mixed ground meat to the pan and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring to break up the meat and prevent clumping.
- Add the broth, spices, mashed potato, salt, and pepper, and mix thoroughly to combine.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, for 20–30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid is absorbed.
- Remove from heat and adjust seasonings. Cool the filling in the refrigerator for about 2 hours, until completely chilled.
- Cut the butter into small cubes and chill until very cold.
- In a large mixing bowl, working with a food processor or pastry blender, or by hand with two knives, chop the butter into the flour and salt until it is small and crumbly, the size of very small peas.
- Add ½ cup of the ice cold water and mix. Add more water, 1 tablespoonful at a time, until the dough comes together to form a ball.
- Divide the dough into two equal parts and form each into a ball, and then flatten slightly to shape thick discs.
- Wrap dough in wax paper or plastic and chill in the refrigerator for 60 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Remove the chilled dough rounds from the refrigerator, and let sit at room temperature for 5 minutes.
- Roll each round out on a floured work surface until ⅛ –¼ inch thickness.
- Line a 9-inch pie plate with one round of dough.
- Spoon in the meat filling and pat down to pack.
- Brush the edge of the crust with water, and place the second round on top to cover, pressing the edges together to seal. Trim and flute as desired.
- Beat together the egg and water in a small bowl to make the egg wash.
- Brush the top and edges of the pie crust with the egg mixture. Slice steam vents in the top of the pie.
- Bake on a rack in the bottom third of the oven for about 50 minutes, until the crust top is golden.
For Filling:
For Crust:
For Assembly:
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