Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Tourtiere

Every Thanksgiving and Christmas, my Grandmother makes a French-Canadian recipe that has been in her family for generations. Tourtiere ... or "meat pie" in English. Over time it's been tweaked with little tips and personal preferences until it evolved into the textures and flavors I grew up with over the holidays. It takes simple, common ingredients and turns them into a savory holiday dish. This recipe makes 2 pies ... one to enjoy immediately and one to share.


Ingredients

2 Pounds Ground Beef
2 Pounds Ground Pork
1 Medium White Onion
3 Pounds White Potatoes, Peeled and Chopped.
1/2 Teaspoon Allspice
1/2 Teaspoon Ground Cloves
1/4 Teaspoon Cinnamon
1 Teaspoon Salt
4 Pie Uncooked Pie Crusts


1) In a large pan, layer the pork on the bottom and then the ground beef on top. Set at a medium heat and allow to simmer, stirring occasionally so that it does not stick to the bottom of the pan.

2) After meat is thoroughly cooked, strain the meat over a large bowl, keeping the broth for later use. Set aside.

3) In same large pan, add potatoes and onions. Cover with water, bring to a boil and cook until potatoes are soft. Strain the water from the cooked potatoes and onions and add them back to the pan along with the meat and 1/2 of the broth from the meat.

4) Add all dry spices to a bowl and mix together thoroughly. Sprinkle over the meat, potatoes and onions. Mix all ingredients together with a wide spoon. Set oven to 450 to pre-heat.

5) Spoon meat pie filling into pie crusts in a deep dish pie pan. (You can make your own pie crusts, but to save time I generally use the pre-made crusts found in your local grocer's refrigerated dairy section). Brush water on edges of pie crust and then place second pie crust on top, pinching the edges together to seal. Cut slits into top of pie for ventilation. Or, I like to use a mini-cookie cutter to create leaf shapes on top.

6) Crack egg and separate yolk from egg white. Whisk egg white until frothy and then brush onto top crust with pastry brush.

7) Bake at 450 degrees for 45 minutes. Depending on your oven, you may need to cover the pie with tin foil to prevent the top crust from burning.

Voila! French-Canadian Tourtiere, or Meat Pie! Traditionally, meat pie is served with ketchup or cranberry sauce. I'll be adding some Inn The Kitchen photos of making Tourtiere soon!

--Rachelle
Tremain Street Cottages







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