My holiday recipe: Let the smell of fresh-baked tourtière fill your home | CBC News (2024)

Montreal

Montreal food blogger Monique Dykstra is the brains behind My French Canadian Year, a project where she cooks her way through Quebec's culinary traditions.

Montreal food blogger Monique Dykstra is the brains behind the blog My French Canadian Year

My holiday recipe: Let the smell of fresh-baked tourtière fill your home | CBC News (1)

Marilla Steuter-Martin · CBC News

·

My holiday recipe: Let the smell of fresh-baked tourtière fill your home | CBC News (2)

Montreal food blogger Monique Dykstra is the brains behind My French Canadian Year, a project where she cooks her way through Quebec's culinary traditions.

Over the course of the year,Dykstrahas been experimenting with all the classics: from pea soup to maple taffy to a full roasted Lac-Brome duck.

When the holiday season rolls around, she is quick to turn to the classictourtière, which has been a staple on Quebec Christmas tables for centuries.

Dykstrasaid that there's a lot of variation when it comes to the different recipes floating around, and no two are exactly the same.

"That was one of the hardest things,figuring out what was the quintessential tourtière recipe," she said. "And then I realized that it's really regional differences and there was no one recipe."

She ended up adapting her recipe from a fewdifferent sources, simplifying and tweaking to make it simple and approachable.

My holiday recipe: Let the smell of fresh-baked tourtière fill your home | CBC News (4)

​Dysktra insists that she's not a "natural chef," so when she experiments in the kitchen, she likes to keep things fun and easy.

Hertourtièreis amix of pork, veal and beef, and takes the better part of a day to create. It's labour-intensive, so not a bad option for Boxing Day or later, Dykstra said, since spending all of Christmas Day in a hot kitchen can take some of the fun out of it.

"So, this is something that I would make the26thor the27th, and it'sjust a nice simple dish that's tasty — it'scooking away and you can smell it," she said.

"It's delicious and itfills the house."

Now, having come full circle on her first year of running the blog, Dykstrasaid she's discovered a lot of new recipes and dishes that she plans to bring back year after year—tourtièredefinitely makes that list.

"It's really good. I don't even like tourtière, but after I made this,I've just come to love it."

Ingredients

Prepare 3-4 hours ahead of baking time

1½pounds ground pork or veal
1½ pounds ground beef
2-3 onions, finely chopped
2 tablespoons oil
6 potatoes, cooked then mashed
1-2 cups beef or vegetable broth (or just water)
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground nutmeg
½ tsp. ground cloves
Salt and pepper to taste

Pie crust
Makes two covered pies or four shells.

5 cups flour (635 grams)
1½ tsp. salt
2½ cups shortening (320 grams)
1 egg
½ cup cold water
1 tbsp. white vinegar

My holiday recipe: Let the smell of fresh-baked tourtière fill your home | CBC News (5)

Instructions

Start by making the tourtière​ filling. Heat a large skillet, add oil, then sauté chopped onions for about 10 minutes on medium heatuntil onions are soft and golden.

With your hands, mix the ground pork and beef together in a bowl. Add the fried onions. Return the meat and onions to the frying pan andcook for another 10 minutes, chopping up the meat as it cooks.

Add the remaining ingredients to the meat (broth, mashed potatoesand spices), and mix together. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid is absorbed.

Remove from heat. Taste the meat mixture and add more salt, pepper or spices if needed. Cool in the fridge for about twohours, until completely chilled.

Making pie crusts

Combine flour and salt in a mixing bowl. Add room temperature shortening. Cut the shortening into the flour mixture until it forms rough crumbs.

Beat egg, water, and vinegar together, then pour over flour mixture. Stir mixture together with a fork until moistened.Divide dough into four equal size balls, roughly 275 grams each.

Roll out out one of theballs of dough, and put it in the bottom of a 9-inch pie plate. Spoon in half of the meat filling, patting it down lightly to compress it a bit. Brush the pie rim with water, and place the second circle of dough on top, pressing the edges together to seal. Trim edges and decorate the top.

Repeat to make the second pie.

Egg wash

The egg wash will give your tourtière a golden glow, so don't be tempted to skip this step.Beat the egg and milk together and brush the mixture over the top of the crust and around the edges. Cut steam vents on top of both pies to let moisture escape.

With the rack in the bottom third of the oven, bake at 375 F for about 50 minutes or until the pies are golden brown.

Consult the recipe on My French Canadian Yearhere.

This is part one of a series where Montrealers share their favourite holiday recipes.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

My holiday recipe: Let the smell of fresh-baked tourtière fill your home | CBC News (6)

Marilla Steuter-Martin

Former CBC journalist

Marilla Steuter-Martin was a journalist with CBC Montreal from 2015 to 2021.

    Corrections and clarifications|Submit a news tip|

    My holiday recipe: Let the smell of fresh-baked tourtière fill your home | CBC News (2024)

    FAQs

    What was the original meat in tourtière? ›

    It gets its name from the tourte, which is what it was originally made from. Though the name "tourtière" is derived from its filling, the tourte—the French name for the passenger pigeon that is now extinct in North America—was historically used as its filling before the 20th century.

    What is the difference between meat pie and tourtière? ›

    Meat pie is primarily made of ground meat (pork, beef or veal) and aromatics (onion, garlic, spices, etc.). In Saguenay–Lac‑Saint‑Jean and Charlevoix, however, “real” tourtière is a lot heartier than meat pie and contains other meats (such as game) and potatoes that have been simmered in stock.

    What to serve with tourtière? ›

    Traditionally, Tourtière is served with roasted vegetables or a light frisseé salad. An assortment of pickled foods is always delicious; pickled beets, spicy carrots, gherkins or pickled onions. Many enjoy a tomato-based chutney but most… just break out the ketchup.

    What is a tourtière in English? ›

    tourtière, a double-crusted meat pie that is likely named for a shallow pie dish still used for cooking and serving tourtes (pies) in France. The ground or chopped filling usually includes pork and is sometimes mixed with other meats, including local game, such as rabbit, pheasant, or moose.

    How old is tourtière? ›

    Historical records of Quebec tourtière, which was likely named for the copper and tin pans the pies are baked in, date back to the 17th century. But hearty pies of the sort have been around for as long as humans have thought to combine pastry with meat.

    When should you eat tourtière? ›

    Tourtiere is a traditional part of the Christmas and New Year's Eve meal in Quebec. While typically made of pork and beef, Tourtiere can be made of other meats, such as chicken, venison, rabbit, or any other type of game.

    How long does tourtière last in the fridge? ›

    Freshly Baked

    If your Tourtiere is already baked, please store it in the fridge. For best results, the pie should be consumed within 4 days of purchase. To warm, place on a baking sheet in a preheated oven at 350°F.

    Why is my tourtière dry? ›

    Use two types of minced meat

    Pork is fattier and will bring moisture in addition to binding the ingredients, while veal and beef have a more pronounced taste. Choose semi-lean or lean meat—extra-lean meat will make the tourtière too dry.

    What do the British call a meat pie? ›

    "cottage pie" if it is made with beef. If it is made with. lamb it is usually called "shepherd's pie" (because a. shepherd looks after sheep).

    Is it better to freeze tourtière cooked or uncooked? ›

    For best results, freeze your Tourtière after assembling and before baking. When ready to enjoy, cook from frozen, brushing the top with the egg wash before putting it in the oven. Baking time will be a longer from frozen. Cooked tourtière may be frozen for 4 months or so.

    What wine goes with tourtière? ›

    Wine Pairing Advice: Tourtiere can be served with either whites or reds, but I think that reds go better (and in Canada, where the dish originates, red is what is traditionally served). Try pairing meat pies with light to medium-bodied reds and wines that are big on fruit like a Beaujolais or a Pinot Noir.

    What is a good side dish for meat pies? ›

    What to Serve with Meat Pie: Perfect British Sides
    • Mashed Potatoes (Mash) Let's start with a classic: creamy, buttery mashed potatoes. ...
    • Chunky Chips. ...
    • Mushy Peas. ...
    • Green Beans. ...
    • Pickled Onions. ...
    • Side Salad. ...
    • Coleslaw. ...
    • Yorkshire Puddings.
    Apr 16, 2024

    What do Germans call pie? ›

    For children who grew up in Germans from Russia households, that special treat is kuchen, pronounced “ku-gen”, which is the German word for cake. Kuchen is a rich custard dessert with fruit poured into a sweet dough for the crust. Kuchen is kind of like a fruit pie or tart.

    What is a pie filled with meat called? ›

    A meat pie is a pie with a filling of meat and often with other savory ingredients. They are found in cuisines worldwide. Meat pie. Chicken and rabbit meat pie.

    What is a meat pie called in America? ›

    A pot pie, in US and Canadian dialects, is a type of meat pie with a top pie crust that is commonly used throughout the continent, consisting of flaky pastry.

    What was the original mincemeat pie made of? ›

    The reason mincemeat is called meat is because that's exactly what it used to be: most often mutton, but also beef, rabbit, pork or game. Mince pies were first served in the early middle ages, and the pies were quite sizeable, filled with a mixture of finely minced meat, chopped up fruit and a preserving liquid.

    What is the history of Christmas tourtière? ›

    The traditional Québecois tourtière traces its history back to the 17th century, when Québec was a French colony. Of course, the concept of a meat-filled pastry is not specific to Québec or even Europe, with many cultures around the world having equivalent dishes or snacks.

    What was the first meat pie? ›

    The history of meat pies dates back to ancient times, with the first meat pie going all the way back to the Neolithic period, around 9500 BC. What surprises many pie lovers is that the first known pie in the world is believed to be from ancient Egyptians!

    What is the origin of Natchitoches meat pie? ›

    Natchitoches is the official Meat Pie Capital of Louisiana. Like so many Louisiana dishes the meat pie is a blend of various cultures. The recipe has evolved over the last 300+ years. Introduced in Louisiana in the 1700's by Native Americans and later improved (spiced up) by the Spanish.

    References

    Top Articles
    Latest Posts
    Article information

    Author: Lilliana Bartoletti

    Last Updated:

    Views: 5755

    Rating: 4.2 / 5 (73 voted)

    Reviews: 88% of readers found this page helpful

    Author information

    Name: Lilliana Bartoletti

    Birthday: 1999-11-18

    Address: 58866 Tricia Spurs, North Melvinberg, HI 91346-3774

    Phone: +50616620367928

    Job: Real-Estate Liaison

    Hobby: Graffiti, Astronomy, Handball, Magic, Origami, Fashion, Foreign language learning

    Introduction: My name is Lilliana Bartoletti, I am a adventurous, pleasant, shiny, beautiful, handsome, zealous, tasty person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.