Meat Pie (Québec Tourtière de Montréal)

Tourtière, also known as pork pie or meat pie, is a traditional French-Canadian pie enjoyed throughout Canada and New England. It is made from a combination of ground meat, onions, savoury seasonings, and baked in a traditional piecrust.

Tourtière is a classic part of the Christmas Eve réveillon and New Year's Eve meal in Québec. With lots or regional variations including beef, veal, wild game or even fish, the classic Montreal-style features a blend of pork and beef, mirepoix (finely chopped carrots, celery and onion), potatoes, and a traditional spice blend with hints of nutmeg, cloves and sage.

Tourtière, also known as pork pie or meat pie, is a combination of ground meat, onions, spices, and herbs baked in a traditional piecrust. There are many variations of tourtière throughout different regions of Franco-American communities and Canada and even among members of the same family.

Most recipes include a combination of ground pork and beef, but it is not unusual to include venison or other game meats in the pie. Almost every family had a Ma Tante or Mémère (aunt or grandmother) who had a meat pie recipe with a secret ingredient or two.

Some versions of tourtière are made from only ground or chopped pork, but we have always made it with a mix of pork and beef. Several accounts suggested that using potatoes was frowned upon because that meant you could not afford meat. In this recipe, I feel the potatoes are essential to help bind the ingredients together.

Serve tourtière with something that has a nice tart flavour to balance the richness of the savoury meat pie.

Our family enjoyed meat pie with ketchup, but that was probably a modern evolution from the homemade chutneys and catsups of our ancestors. I vaguely remember a green tomato chow chow or piccalilli on the table.

Pastry:
2 cups all-purpose flour, unbleached
½ tsp. kosher salt
⅔ cup butter or lard, chilled
6-7 Tbsp. water, ice cold
1 egg yolk, beaten with 1 tsp. water, for glaze

Filling:
2 large Russet or Yukon Gold potatoes (about 1 lb)
1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 lb ground pork
1 lb ground beef
½ tsp. Bells poultry seasoning or your favourite poultry seasoning
¼ tsp. ground cinnamon
½ tsp. ground cloves
½ tsp. ground nutmeg
¼ tsp. kosher salt
¼ tsp. black pepper, freshly ground

Prepare the Pastry:
Combine flour and salt in a large bowl.

Cut in butter or lard until mixture is a rough crumbly texture.

Add ice water one Tbsp. at a time and mix just until the dough comes together.

Shape the dough into a ball, flatten, wrap, and chill in the refrigerator. While pastry is chilling, prepare the filling.

Make the Filling:
Peel and cut potatoes into 2" chunks, add them to a medium saucepan, and fill with water until it covers the potatoes by 2".

Bring the saucepan to a boil over high heat and then reduce the heat to medium-high and boil until the potatoes are until tender, about 12 minutes.

Reserve ½ cup of potato water and drain the rest. Mash potatoes and set aside.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat.

Add olive oil, onions, and garlic, and sauté until softened, about 3 minutes.

Add the ground beef and pork and cook until the meat is no longer pink. Drain off excess fat.

Add the poultry seasoning, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, salt, pepper, and reserved potato water. Mix well and simmer for about 10 minutes until the liquid is absorbed.

Remove the skillet from the heat, stir in mashed potatoes, and set the filling aside to cool slightly.

Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C/180°C fan, Gas Mark 6).

Assemble the Pie:
On a lightly floured surface, divide dough in half and flatten one ball of dough with your hands. Roll dough to about 12" in diameter to fit a 9" pie pan.

Place the pastry into the pie plate and add the meat filling. Brush around the outer edge of the pastry with the beaten egg.

Roll out the top pastry and place on top of the filling. Fold the top crust under the bottom crust and pinch or flute the edges. Brush with egg wash and cut vent holes.

Bake the Meat Pie:
Bake the pie in a preheated oven for 30-35 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown.

Remove the tourtière from oven and let it cool at least 10 minutes before serving.

Makes 1 pie, about 8 servings.

Make-Ahead:

• Yes, meat pies can be made ahead and frozen. In fact, it is common for families to gather and make up multiple meat pies at once and then freeze extra for later. After a visit to my family on Thanksgiving, it is not uncommon to bring home a frozen tourtière along with leftovers.
• You can also make the meat filling and freeze it to fill pies later.

How to Freeze Unbaked Meat Pies:

• Make the pie pastry and chill. Make the filling and let it cool.
• Assemble the meat pies into freezer-to-oven safe metal pie plates or the disposable aluminum pie plates.
• Place the pies on a baking sheet and freeze until firm. Once frozen, slip the pies into freezer bags, label, date, and freeze for up to 4 months.
• Preheat the oven to oven to 400°F (200°C/180°C fan, Gas Mark 6).

To Cook the Frozen Meat Pie:
Remove the pie from the freezer and unwrap. Brush the top of the piecrust with beaten egg wash, and place the frozen meat pie in a preheated oven. Bake until the pie is heated through and the pastry is golden brown, about 50-60 minutes.

How to Freeze Baked Pies:

• Make and assemble the meat pies into freezer-to-oven safe metal pie plates or the disposable aluminum pie plates. Cook completely as directed.
• After baking, let the pie cool completely. Place the pies on a baking sheet and freeze until firm. Once frozen, slip the pies into freezer bags, label, date, and freeze for up to 4 months.

To Reheat:
Remove the pies from the freezer and thaw in the refrigerator for about three hours and then bake in a preheated oven 400°F (200°C/180°C fan, Gas Mark 6) until heated through, about 20-30 minutes.

How to Freeze Meat Pie Filling:
Make the meat pie filling and let it cool. Add the cooled filling to freezer bags, label, date, and freeze for up to 4 months.

To Use:
Remove the pie filling from the freezer and let thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Assemble the pie and bake in a preheated oven 400°F (200°C/180°C fan, Gas Mark 6) for 30-35 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown and the filling is hot.