Tourtière
- Total Time
- 6 hours (can be made serially)
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
Advertisement
Ingredients
- 2½cups or 300 grams all-purpose flour
- ½teaspoon kosher salt
- 16tablespoons unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes
- 4tablespoons leaf lard, cold and cut into cubes
- 3-4 tablespoons ice water, as needed
- 1½-2 pounds pork-shoulder meat, cut into 1½-inch chunks
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 2tablespoons neutral oil, like canola
- 5allspice berries
- 2cinnamon sticks
- 112-ounce bottle stout or other dark beer
- 4large chicken thighs, or 1 large turkey thigh
- 2tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2medium-size yellow onions, peeled and diced
- 4cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- 2tablespoons parsley, roughly chopped
- 10 to 12ounces cremini mushrooms or a mixture of wild mushrooms, sliced
- ½cup dry white wine or stock
- 1pound ground pork
- ½teaspoon ground white pepper
- ⅛teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅛teaspoon ground clove
- Pinch of ground nutmeg
- Pinch of cayenne pepper or to taste
- 2medium-size potatoes, like Yukon Gold, grated
- 1large egg yolk, beaten with a tablespoon of water
For the Dough
For the Pie
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)
971 calories; 73 grams fat; 31 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 29 grams monounsaturated fat; 8 grams polyunsaturated fat; 19 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 3 grams sugars; 54 grams protein; 1186 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered by
Opt out or contact us anytime. See our Privacy Policy.
Opt out or contact us anytime. See our Privacy Policy.
Preparation
- Step 1
Make the dough. In a food processor, pulse together the flour and salt. Add butter and lard in stages, pulsing until the mixture forms bean-size pieces. Slowly add ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, and pulse until the dough just comes together. It should be moist but not wet.
- Step 2
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and gather into two balls. Flatten each into a disk with the heel of your hand. Cover tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 2 days.
- Step 3
Make the pork shoulder. Season the pieces of pork aggressively with salt and pepper. Put 1 tablespoon of the oil into a large, deep skillet or Dutch oven, and set it over medium-high heat. When the oil shimmers, sear the meat on all sides until browned, turning as necessary, 10 minutes.
- Step 4
Add the allspice berries and cinnamon sticks, and stir to toast them, then add the beer. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover the pan and simmer steadily until the pork is very tender, 45 minutes to an hour. (When the pork is done, you can allow it to cool in its liquid and refrigerate it for one or two days before using.)
- Step 5
Make the chicken or turkey. Heat oven to 325. Season the chicken or turkey thighs aggressively with salt and pepper, then roast in a cast-iron pan or shallow baking tray until their skin is crisp and they have cooked through, approximately 1 hour. (The chicken or turkey, too, may be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator before using.)
- Step 6
Make the pie filling. Melt the butter in a large, heavy-bottomed Dutch oven set over medium heat, and when it foams, add the onions, garlic and parsley. Cook, stirring often, until soft, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the mushrooms, and cook, stirring often, until they are soft and have given up their liquid, 5 to 7 minutes. Add wine or stock, and stir to deglaze the pan, then cook until the liquid has evaporated, 5 minutes.
- Step 7
Add the ground pork and the spices, and cook until the pork has lost its pinkness, 5 to 7 minutes. Add grated potato, and cook another 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Step 8
Shred the cooked chicken or turkey into the pot along with the cooked pork and about ½ cup of its braising liquid, stir lightly to combine and season to taste with salt and pepper. Chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour and up to a day.
- Step 9
Assemble the pie. Place a large baking sheet on the middle rack of oven, and heat to 400.
- Step 10
Remove one disk of dough from the refrigerator, and using a pin, roll it out on a lightly floured surface until it is roughly 10 to 11 inches in diameter. Fit this crust into a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate or cast-iron pan, trimming it to leave an overhang. Place this plate, with the dough, in the freezer.
- Step 11
Roll out the remaining dough on a lightly floured surface until it is roughly 10 to 11 inches in diameter.
- Step 12
Remove pie crust from freezer, and put the chilled filling into it. Cover with remaining dough. Press the edges together, trim excess, then crimp the edges. Using a sharp knife, cut three or four steam vents in the top of the crust. Paint the pie’s top with the egg wash.
- Step 13
Place pie in oven on hot baking sheet, and cook for 20 minutes, then reduce temperature to 350, and cook until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbling, about 30 to 40 minutes more. Let cool 20 minutes before serving.
Private Notes
Comments
This is for a gourmet tourtière, and I don't know many people who go through the trouble of such a complex recipe. I just made tourtières yesterday but the much more common way. i.e. half ground beef and half lean ground pork, cubed potatoes (sweet or regular), onion, a little water, the same spices plus some herbs such as marjoram, thyme and sage. It takes no time at all to prepare and cook the meat mixture prior to making the tourtières and this is more authentic of the cuisine quebecoise.
As a member of a large French Canadian and Metis family, I must object. Tourtiere, as several other commenters point out, is a very simple affair. Two pounds of ground pork (or a mixture of pork and beef), one mashed potato, one diced onion, all seasoned with salt, pepper, and a bit of each of nutmeg, cloves and cinnamon, is all that is required to fill two pie crusts (do it galette style for an even more rustic presentation). The rest is just busywork, yielding questionable results.
I have been making my French Cannadian grandmother's recipe for over fifty years and it is simple. Sautéed onions, garlic, ground pork, salt, pepper, mace, nutmeg and a pinch of cayenne. I give it a generous splash of cognac and add the mashed potatoes. Put it in a pie shell and top it with a decorated top crust.
It is so wrong to me that this is the only tourtière recipe at NYTC. This is some off-the-charts fancy variation on the dish, but it is not by most measures, representative of the dish. My humble advice to those who have come here looking for the recipe, is to simply abide by the top three comments here, and just do what they tell you. It's simple stuff, and that's its brilliance, charm, and connection to history.
Real Tourtiere is made with a generous portion of venison (typically Moose in rural Quebec) mixed in with the pork. In my experience (from my ex) that was typically 50/50. But really separate the best Tortiere from the rest was the pastry.
Like the others, our tradition is to do the lean ground pork and beef combo, with the recommended spices (allspice and cloves). Mémère used 100% lean pork, but the beef mix is easier to digest. We will also make some spiced with sage from the garden. Made in bulk and frozen for winter meals. A hearty meal to pop into the oven after an afternoon of cross-country skiing.
Advertisement