Directions
This Best Tourtiere Recipe also know as Tourtiere de Maman is a Canadian meat pie that is spiced. And is the perfect recipe to accompany your holiday festivities.
Looking for another festive dish? Then your gonna want to try my Baked Holiday Ham dish or my Beef Mushroom Wellington or even my Recette Sheppard’s Pie.
Gather your friends and family to enjoy a stress-free comfort meal, with my French Canadian Tourtière
WHERE DID TOURTIERE ORIGINATE
Tourtiere originated from Quebec from as early as 1600.
And is traditional served during the Christmas holidays.
IS TOURTIERE FRENCH
Yes, French Canadian.
WHEN IS TOURTIERE EATEN
Nothing beats this pie on the table on Christmas day, well next to some mashed potatoes and gravy of course. Or my popular Shredded Brussel Sprouts recipe!
How To Make Canadian Tourtière
- Start with a pyrex baking dish that is 9.5 x 1.6 deep.
- Then make the butter crust (see recipe card)
- And the pie filling
- Stuff the Tourtière and bake at 375 f for 45 minutes till golden brown.
CAN TOURTIERE BE FROZEN
Yes, as long as the meat that was used was fresh not frozen to begin with.
So how do I know how to make a traditional Tourtière you may be asking?
Well, I am Canadian, but not Acadian. And have strong French roots on one side of my family.
What is Acadian you may be asking? Acadian peoples originate from eastern Canada.
They actually are the ones who created this recipe to begin with. Then the French out there ran with it and it is now known as a French Canadian or Acadian dish.
This particular recipe for my best Tourtière Pie has been past down from my Great Grandma who was 100% French Canadian. And her ancestors are all from Newfoundland and Labrador territories.
I have been gifted with her original recipe which was hand written by her a few decades ago.
And, so I had to share it all with you here.
Growing up Canadian, I was influenced by many cultural groups and thus foods so it wasn’t like I stuck to just one type of food then or now.
However I’ve appreciated all that was taught to me along the way.
One fond memory I do have is that of my great grandma and grandma both in the kitchen together making Tourtière right before Christmas.
I must have been somewhere from 5-10 years old then. And I never knew how precious that memory would be for me as my great grandmother past shortly after.
I also remember enjoying this dish during Christmas dinner over the years as my aunts always carried the tradition of making it.
HOW MANY PEOPLE DOES A TOURTIERE MEAT PIE SERVE
One pie typically serves 8-10.
Over the years this recipe has been changed across the generations and each family does prepare it somewhat differently. In eastern Canada, most people there use pork or even rabbit in this pie.
Oh and be sure to serve this CANADIAN TOURTIÈRE with a dollop of Ketchup. The kids will love that addition too.
PS: don’t skip on the potatoes they really help to hold the pie together. I hope you give it a try this holidays season and let me know what you think.
Could you serve a traditional French Canadian meat pie this Christmas? Could your family like it more than the more traditional Turkey? I would love to know.
Wishing you and yours a Merry Christmas!
Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow!
WHICH WINE WITH TOURTIERE
Whites, sparkling or reds all go with them a tourtière pie.
Note: You can freeze this ahead of time, and bring it to any gathering to bake fresh.
WHAT TO SERVE WITH TOURTIERE
Cranberry Sauce with Orange Juice
Beef and Mushroom Wellington
Instant Pot Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Be sure to try these tasty recipes below!
- Pork Chops with maple syrup and apples
- Maple Bourbon Glaze Ham
- Brussel Sprouts with bacon
- Butter Herb & Parmesan Mushrooms
- Turkey Pot Pies
- Creamy Cheese Mashed Potatoes
- Honey Mustard Brussel Sprouts
- Shredded Brussel Sprouts with Bacon and Balsamic
- Canadian Maple Butter
- Instant Pot Honey Glazed Carrots
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Best Tourtiere Recipe
A Canadian Classic
Ingredients
PASTRY
- 2 1/2 cups All purpose flour
- 1 cup Cold water
- 1 cup Butter
- 1 tsp Salt
SPICES
- 1 tbsp Savory
- 1 tsp Ground cloves
- 1 tsp Ground Cinnamon
- 1 tsp Sage
- 1 tsp Thyme
- 1 tsp Celery Salt
- 1 tsp Season with salt and pepper
FILLING
- 1 pd Organic Ground Beef
- 1 pd Organic Ground Pork
- 2 medium Potatoes
- 1 Onion
- 1 cup Beef stock
- 5 cloves Garlic
- 2 Eggs
Instructions
Butter Crust - 2 cups unbleached all purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, 2/3 cup butter or lard, 6-7 tablespoons cold water.
- Combine everything together in a large bowl. Then cut the butter or lard until the mixture is crumbly. Add water and blend just until dough comes together nicely.
- Shape into a ball, wrap and chill in the refrigerator.
- Once the filling has been made, roll out the dough and place into the baking dish.
NEXT MAKE THE FILLING:
- In a large pot of boiling water, add 2 medium sized potatoes with the skin on and boil till fork tender, remove from heat and soak in cold water and remove the skin easily that way. Then in a large frying pan place a little bit of cooking oil then your onion, and garlic, saute till fragrant.
- Add in your ground hamburger and pork along with seasonings and saute for 3 minutes. Then add in your beef stock and scrape down the sides to mix all the flavors together. Simmer on medium - low heat till the liquid has evaporated, roughly 30 minutes.
- Using a grater, grate your potatoes into the mixture, remove from heat and set aside to cool down for one hour.
- Meanwhile prepare your crust according to the above directions. Once it's been chilled for one hour remove the crust and place on a lightly floured surface and divide it in half.
- Roll each half out to form a large circle shape, one will be for the bottom of the crust the other for the top.
- Place your bottom half gently over your pie plate and ladle in your filling, fill to the top and press down with a ladle till compact.
- Now create your egg wash, simply beat two eggs in a bowl.
- With some egg wash, brush the outside of the oval crust to ensure that the lid sticks together during cooking.
- Next put the pie crust overtop and using kitchen scissors, cut around the outside edges to remove the excess dough and with your fingers pinch all around the crust to ensure its closed. Finish by brushing the entire top of the pie with remaining egg wash and with a knife make two cuts along the top to allow for ventilation while cooking.
- Bake at 375 f for 45 minutes till golden brown.
- Serve with Ketchup and enjoy!
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 461Total Fat: 28gSaturated Fat: 16gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 121mgSodium: 870mgCarbohydrates: 42gFiber: 3gSugar: 1gProtein: 12g
These calculations are based off Nutritionix
8 Comments Hide Comments
Guys, Thanks For sharing this Great Recipe. My Family Loved it. I am definitely sharing this recipe and this website with my friend. Hope they also love it. Thank you again for sharing such a great recipe.
Thank you for your review! I’m happy to hear it went well in your home.
hi i’m Pat and i loved the pie. Just like my mom used to make. thank you so much im going to make 3 more and freeze 2. For the cinnamon and clove i only used the tip of the spoon.
Oh wow Pat, I’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed the recipe.
Hi Jacqueline, thank you so much for sharing your recipe. We loved it so much! I did a trial run and ended up making 4 pies for Christmas this year. We are not able to be together with our children so each house gets their own and I know they will love it too. My go to recipe for years to come for sure.
Hello Donna
Wow, that sounds like quite the Christmas Gift. Made with love, hope they enjoy as much as you have!
Thank you for the lovely review. Merry Christmas!!
I have been making this thirty years. My mother, grandmother and great grandmother on an on. We simply use ground pork, saltines, diced onions, salt, pepper and sage. Bake in the pie. It’s perfect, delicious and always a hit. Not sure when all the other things plus precooking happened.
Hi Jody, thank you for your comment. Based on what I know this recipe has been defiantly cooked a few different ways by different folks over the years.
Tourtière, also called pâté à viande, 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.
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