Tourtière Recipe: How to Make the Best French Canadian Meat Pie (2024)

FAQs

What is the difference between a meat pie and a tourtière? ›

Meat pie is primarily made of ground meat (pork, beef or veal) and aromatics (onion, garlic, spices, etc.). In Saguenay–Lac‑Saint‑Jean and Charlevoix, however, “real” tourtière is a lot heartier than meat pie and contains other meats (such as game) and potatoes that have been simmered in stock.

It gets its name from the tourte, which is what it was originally made from. Though the name "tourtière" is derived from its filling, the tourte—the French name for the passenger pigeon that is now extinct in North America—was historically used as its filling before the 20th century.

As the breadcrumbs and the broth help add moisture to this recipe, added fat is an unwanted quantity that tends to make the tourtiere fall apart when cutting and also is just not very pleasant.

tourtière, 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.

Blind Bake the Crust

One of the fool-proof ways to ensure a crisp bottom pie crust is to do what is called blind baking. This simply means that you bake the crust—either fully if you are adding a custard or cream that won't be cooked, or partially if the whole pie needs to bake—before adding the filling.

Traditionally, Tourtière is served with roasted vegetables or a light frisseé salad. An assortment of pickled foods is always delicious; pickled beets, spicy carrots, gherkins or pickled onions. Many enjoy a tomato-based chutney but most… just break out the ketchup.

Tourtière was always on the table, and in 17-century Québec, the pie was traditionally served in a cast-iron cauldron and stuffed with cubed meats, often wild game (rabbit, pheasant, or moose). Four centuries later, the pie remains a staple dish both at réveillon and in Québécois households.

A pot pie, in US and Canadian dialects, is a type of meat pie with a top pie crust that is commonly used throughout the continent, consisting of flaky pastry.

The tourtière du Lac-Saint-Jean differs from a regular tourtière by having thicker crust, cubes of potatoes, meats and broth (instead of only minced meat), as well as being placed in a much larger and deeper container. Like a regular tourtière, the meat chosen is usually pork, beef or veal.

For best results, freeze your Tourtière after assembling and before baking. When ready to enjoy, cook from frozen, brushing the top with the egg wash before putting it in the oven. Baking time will be a longer from frozen. Cooked tourtière may be frozen for 4 months or so.

How long can you keep tourtière in the fridge? ›

Freshly Baked

If your Tourtiere is already baked, please store it in the fridge. For best results, the pie should be consumed within 4 days of purchase. To warm, place on a baking sheet in a preheated oven at 350°F.

Overworking the dough: One of the most common mistakes when making pie crust is overworking the dough. When you handle the dough too much, it can develop too much gluten, which can make the crust tough. To avoid this, handle the dough as little as possible and stop mixing as soon as the dough comes together.

A tourtiere is basically a meat pie with a top and bottom crust. It can be made with beef, beef and pork, or any other meat like porcupine, skunk, racoon, elk, venison or even pigeons. “A 'tourte' was the name of a bird like a pigeon, and they were making pie with these types of birds,” says Ricardo.

The tourtière dates back to when Quebec was a French settlement, with the most popular version originating in the Saguenay Lac-St-Jean region. Tourtière is a derivative of cipaille, a traditionally British dish known as “Sea Pie,” which has its first mention in the 1796 The First American Cookbook by Amelia Simmons.

The name is a carryover from 15th century England when mincemeat did indeed have meat in the mix; in fact, the whole point of mincemeat was to preserve meat with sugar and alcohol. Mincemeat pies became a status symbol because meat and fruit were expensive.

A pot pie, in US and Canadian dialects, is a type of meat pie with a top pie crust that is commonly used throughout the continent, consisting of flaky pastry.

Meat pies are generally called pies, though can be called different things depending on the contents, Steak and kidney pie, meat and potato pie, Chicken and mushroom, Turkey, cheese and onion pie and so on. Sometimes the pie might reflect the gravy the filling was cooked in like Steak and Ale pie.

Use your spoon to scoop up and gobble down that delectable mince and tomato sauce filling.