Tourtière: A French Canadian cold-weather classic
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Tourtière
Tourtière is a Quebecois holiday classic that I love to serve on New Year’s Eve (rather than Christmas Eve). It’s unpretentious, hearty enough to help you handle some drinks later, and so good cold from the fridge as a late-night snack. Plus, if your New Year’s resolution is to find the perfect pastry for a meat pie, look no further than this hot water pastry
Tourtière
SERVES 8 to 10
For the filling
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
2 small cooking onions, diced
1–2 cloves garlic, minced
2 bay leaves
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 1/4 lb lean ground beef
1 1/4 lb ground pork
1 large russet potato, peeled and grated
2 teaspoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup stout or hearty red wine
1 1/4–1 1/2 cups no-or low-sodium beef broth
8–10 dashes Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon herbes de Provence
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
For the pastry
1 cup unsalted butter, cubed
3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 egg + 2 teaspoons milk, for egg wash
For the filling, heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat and sauté the onions, garlic, and bay leaves for about 2 minutes, or until slightly translucent. Season with the salt and add in the beef and pork. Cook for 10 minutes and then add in the potato and butter. Stir to combine and melt the butter, and then sprinkle the flour over top. Give it all a stir and cook for 2 minutes in order to cook off that raw flour taste. Still stirring, pour in the stout (or wine) and broth. Season with the Worcestershire, herbes de Provence, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg, and finish it all off with the pepper. Cook for 5 minutes to bring everything together. Remove the filling from the heat and allow it to cool to room temperature.
Meanwhile, make the hot water pastry by combining the butter with 1 cup of water in a large pot over medium-high heat. Bring this to a boil and, once all of the butter has melted, remove it from the heat and dump in the flour and salt. Working quickly, stir well until everything comes together and then turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. When it’s cool enough to handle, knead the dough until very smooth and a little elastic. Don’t be shy here—I often knead this dough for at least 3 minutes and the result is somehow better than if I’d been gentle with it. Allow the dough to rest at room temperature, lightly covered with plastic wrap, for about 30 minutes.
Preheat your oven to 400°F and divide your dough into two chunks, one slightly larger than the other. Roll the larger piece out on a lightly floured work surface so that it’s big enough to line the base and sides of a 9-inch springform pan. Line the pan with the dough, spoon in the filling, and roll out the remaining piece of dough. Top the pie with this piece of dough, crimp the edges, and cut a few slits in the middle of the tourtière to create a steam vent. Brush with the egg wash and place on a baking sheet to catch any overflow. Bake for 25 minutes, turn down the oven to 350°F, and continue baking for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the crust is golden. Allow the tourtière to rest for at least 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
Note: This tourtière can be assembled up to 1 day ahead and stored, tightly covered, in the fridge. When you’re ready to serve, remove the tourtière from the fridge to let it sit while you preheat the oven, and bake as above.
Another note: For a vegetarian version, try using a plant based meat such as Impossible Burger instead of the beef and pork in this recipe. It was a hit on my Holiday table this year!
This recipe is an excerpt from my cookbook Kitchen Party: Effortless Recipes for Every Occasion
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/565979/kitchen-party-by-mary-berg/9780147531247