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, savory seasonings, and baked in a traditional piecrust.
Growing up in a Northern New England paper town provided an eclectic upbringing of various nationalities and traditions. Like most mill towns, employment opportunities summoned immigrants from all over the world including Russia, Scandinavia, and Ireland. However, the largest immigrant group by far was French-speaking Canadians.
Employment opportunities at the many saw mills and logging camps drew numerous French Canadians south in several waves during the 19th century. Eventually, many French Canadians seeking work and preservation of their customs, language, and way of life relocated to New England towns. They settled, established Franco-American communities, and maintained their culture, language, and religion. My family is mostly of French-Canadian descent, and I grew up in a bilingual French and English speaking small town.
Among the customs passed down from generation to generation is the tradition of serving tourtière for special occasions such as Christmas Eve. This celebration meal was an adaptation of réveillon de Noël of rural Québec.
The Family Tradition of Tourtière (Meat Pie)
As our family Christmas traditions continue to evolve over the years, I often think about the old-fashioned customs and foods from my youth. I remember attending Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve, then returning home to feast on meat pies smothered with a generous amount of ketchup before we were ushered to bed so Santa could deliver presents.
As the years went by, and family members got older, the tradition of Midnight Mass gave way to Christmas Eve Mass at an earlier hour but the ritual of serving tourtière after Mass continued for many years.
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 the 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 tante or mémère (aunt or grandmother) who had a tourtière recipe with a secret ingredient or two.
Some versions of tourtière are made from only ground or chopped pork, but my family 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.
The poultry seasoning that is historically used by many families in New England is Bells Poultry Seasoning and is still made today. If you can’t find Bells, go ahead and substitute your favorite poultry seasoning.
Steps for Making Tourtière
Prepare your pie dough pastry and refrigerate until you are ready to use it.
Cook the potatoes in a pot of boiling water until they are tender. Scoop out about 1/2-cup of potato water and drain the rest. Mash potatoes and set aside.
To make the tourtière filling:
Step 1. Add the onions, garlic, ground beef, and ground pork to a skillet over medium heat. Cook until the meat is no longer pink. Drain off any excess fat.
Step 2. Combine the seasonings in a small bowl and add to the meat mixture in the skillet.
Step 3. Add the reserved potato water. Mix well and simmer until the liquid has evaporated.
Step 4. Turn off the heat and stir in the mashed potatoes. Let it cool as you roll out your pie pastry.
Step 5. Place the bottom pastry into the pie plate and add the meat filling. Brush around the outer edge with beaten egg and add the top pastry. and place on top of the filling.
Step 6. Crimp the edges, brush with egg wash, and cut vent holes.
Bake in a preheated oven until the pastry is golden brown. Let is cool for about 10 minutes, and serve warm with lots of ketchup.
Tourtière, also known as pork pie or meat pie, is a combination of ground meat, onions, spices, and herbs baked in a traditional piecrust.
- 2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2/3 cup butter or lard
- 6-7 tablespoons cold water
- 1 pound ground pork
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 small onion finely chopped
- 1 clove garlic finely minced
- 2 large potatoes
- 1/2 teaspoon Bells poultry seasoning or your favorite poultry seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/8 teaspoon pepper
- 1 egg scrambled for glazing
In a large bowl, combine flour with the salt. Cut in butter or lard until mixture is a roughly even crumbly texture. Add water and blend just until dough comes together.
Shape into a rough disc, wrap and chill in the refrigerator. While pastry is chilling, prepare filling.
Cook potatoes in a pot of water until tender, about 12 minutes. Reserve 1/2-cup of potato water and drain the rest. Mash potatoes and set aside.
In a large skillet, cook the onion, garlic beef and pork over medium heat until no longer pink. Drain off excess fat.
Combine the seasonings in a small bowl and add to the meat mixture in the skillet.
Add the reserved potato water. Mix in well and simmer over low heat for about 10 minutes until the liquid is absorbed.
Remove the pan from heat, stir in mashed potatoes, and set aside to cool.
Preheat oven to 400°F/205°C
On a lightly floured surface, divide dough in half and flatten one ball of dough with your hands. Roll dough to about 12-inches in diameter to fit a 9-inch 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 in a preheated over for 30 to 35 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown.
Remove the tourtière from oven and let it cool at least 10 minutes before serving. Yield: Makes 1 pie, about 8 servings.
This recipe was originally published on December 14, 2015. It has been updated with additional information, photos, and video.
If you grew up near a French-Canadian community and enjoyed meat pie as part of your Christmas Eve and New Years Eve food celebration, you may also have had salmon pie. You can find a recipe for French-Canadian Salmon Pie here.
Does your family have traditions centered on food and meals?
What family traditions do you carry on?
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Ron
Our French Canadian family immigrated from Montreal our recipe is similar but very dark, very clovey and minced meat…
Janet Hansen
My friend who introduced me to pasties used some suit in her pastry as well a small amount
In her meat blend. There is much more flavor doing it this way. But we did make it into a pie instead of the hand held pastie
PATRICK LEONARD
Oh don’t ruin it with ketchup. Make Tourtière sauce
1 tsp powdered gelatin
1 1/2 cups good-quality chicken or veal stock, divided
2 rashers thick-cut bacon
4 shallots, roughly chopped
2 tbsp cognac or bourbon
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 cup apple cider
2 thyme sprigs
1/4 cup heavy cream
While the tourtière is baking, make the sauce. In a small bowl, bloom the gelatin in 1/4 cup stock. Set aside.
In a skillet over medium heat, fry the bacon, turning periodically. Once the bacon is golden and its fat has rendered, about 5 to 8 minutes, remove and reserve for another use (in other words, eat it as a cook’s treat). Add the shallots to the pan and cook, stirring often, until deeply coloured and soft, about 10 minutes.
With a lid nearby and the skillet off the heat, pour the cognac into the pan. Still off the heat, carefully set the alcohol vapours aflame with a match, then return the pan to the heat, shaking the pan constantly until the flames subside. Stir in the mustard, let it fry for a few seconds, then follow with the remaining stock, the apple cider and the gelatin mixture. Once bubbling, pop in the thyme sprigs and lower the heat. Simmer until the sauce is the consistency of maple syrup, 12 to 15 minutes more.
Strain through a fine-meshed sieve, pressing the shallots to extract as much liquid as possible. Return the sauce to the pan, stir in the cream, then bring back up to a simmer for 5 minutes, stirring. Season with salt and pepper. Serve hot alongside the tourtière.
©Rachel Arsenault
This sounds delicious, Patrick! Thanks for sharing!
Stephanie
My mom use to makethis when i was a kid. Always loved it. Only instead of ketchup we used gravy
Phil
I have made many times but using the meat from the PORK Spread (Gorton). I add basically the same spices and a 50/50nmix of potato. Like Gorton, I believe there can be 10 people making the same dish and it will taste 10 different ways.
Philip Barcomb
The secret I learned later in life from my Grandparents They would put the pies outside to freeze and later place them in the oven and rewarm them. Bring out the total flavor.. Enjoy.
Dottie
Both my parents are from French-Canadian parents. My Mom’s family were from Montreal having settled in the French district of Manchester NH. My Dad’s family settled in Tilton, NH, later to move to CT. My parents met at a French-Canadian club in CT. Both were fluid in French though my Dad loss his ability to speak it in later years. My Mom’s parents could not speak english but my fondest memories of my Grandmother was always her huge hugs and smiles. She was always happy. Your meat pie recipe is almost identical to the meat stuffing recipe passed down from my Dad’s family. It is simply equal parts: 1lb pork sausage, 1 lb hamburg, 1 lb potatoes, seasoned with additional Bell’s poultry seasoning, salt and pepper as needed. The pork pie recipe is from my Mom’s family. For 1 pie, my Mom used 2-3 lb ground pork butt, 1 chopped onion, 1 c water, 1 tsp salt and 1 large potato cut up (used to absorb pork grease). Slowly simmered apx 2 hours or until the consistency of wet cement. The potato is removed from the pan. Meat is mashed, seasoned with cinnamon and cloves, put into pie crust and baked. My Mom was 14th of 18 and born after a long line of boys. Her fondest memories of Christmas Eve was her Mom in the kitchen cooking the meat and filling the pie plates. My Mom’s “treat” for being a good girl was the most delicious pork flavored potatoes! The pies came out of the oven just in time for when the older brothers came home from Mid-Night Mass. My Mom use to send the frozen pies to me after I had moved to MD. Then, as she aged, I got her to tell me step by step how to make them, and I brought the frozen pies to her. My Mom passed away a few years ago at age 95, the last of her siblings to go. And yet, if I listen quietly I can still hear my Grandmother, Aunts and Mom laughing away while playing cards speaking in a language I was never able to grasp. I now live in WV and have friends here now hooked on the traditional Christmas Pork Pie! Life is good!
Lise Crawford
Thank you for the nice family memories that you share with all of us . I will make this recepie, thinking of the joy past.(I’m a French Canadian) In ontario.,Ca. PM
Jenn
Pork Pie we call it! Every Christmas my Memere would make these, now it’s my job. This recipe is similar but we add quite a bit of sage as well.