Duck Pie (Québec Tourtière du Lac Brome)

Tourtière might be the most classic of Canadian dishes. Every Franco-Canadian family has its own recipe, whether it lives in Québec, Acadia, Ontario, or even New England. Tourtière is almost always part of the Christmas or New Year's dinner. The word "tourtière" is a generic term for pâté en croute. The classic meat pie usually includes ground pork, veal or beef, and potatoes. That said, there is a wide variety of tourtière. Some include wild game, or even fish. Here is Québec's Tourtière du Lac Brome.

Filling:
4 Brome Lake duck breasts, cut into small cubes
⅔ lb Toulouse-style pepper and garlic duck sausages Canards du Lac Brome (300 g)
1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil (15 mL)
2 onions diced
1 Tbsp. garlic, minced (15 mL)
1½ lb stewing pork cubes, finely diced (675 g)
1 bay leaf
black pepper, freshly ground
2¼ lbs potatoes, peeled and cut into small cubes (6-7 potatoes) (1 kg)
1¼ cups duck fat, melted (300 mL)
kosher or sea salt
3 cups duck stock (750 mL)

Pastry:
1 recipe Double Crust Pastry
1 egg yolk, beaten with 1 tsp. water, for glaze

In a skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Cook the sausages for 2-3 minutes, turning them a few times. Remove from the heat and cut the sausages into rounds.

In a bowl, mix the onions with the garlic, sausages, duck breasts, pork and bay leaf. Pepper and stir. Cover and refrigerate 12 hours.

When cooking, preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C/170°C fan, Gas Mark 5).

In the bowl containing the meat preparation, add the potatoes and the melted duck fat. Salt and stir.

On a floured surface, roll out two-thirds of the dough into a circle 50 cm (20") in diameter. Roll out the rest of the dough into a circle 30 cm (12") in diameter.

In a 3.5 L (14 cup) capacity casserole, place the largest crust of dough and press it against the sides of the casserole. Fill the dough with the meat preparation, then pour the duck stock. Cover with the second crust of dough. If necessary, cut off the excess dough. Press the edge to seal the two doughs.

Make a hole in the center of the dough to let the steam escape. Cover the casserole with a sheet of aluminum foil. Bake for 1 hour.

Reduce oven temperature to 250°F (120°C/100°C fan, Gas Mark 0.5). Continue cooking in the oven for 4-5 hours.

Remove the sheet of aluminum foil from the casserole. Continue cooking in the oven for 1 hour.

Makes 12 servings.

Cook's Notes: To enhance the flavour of this delectable duck tourtière, our chefs have chosen to add melted duck fat. Indeed, this good fat, which is more akin to olive oil than animal fat, delicately enhances the flavours of any recipe. In addition, it withstands high cooking temperatures more easily than butter. Do not hesitate to use it when you want to add a refined touch to your dishes.