Canadian Pork Pie Recipes

TOURTIERE (FRENCH CANADIAN MEAT PIE)

Steps:

• Place flour, salt, and frozen butter slices into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse on and off until butter is about the size of peas, about 30 seconds. Stir vinegar into cold water; drizzle water/vinegar into the flour mixture. Pulse on and off until mixture is crumbly and holds together when you pinch a piece off, about 10 seconds. If dough isn't pressing together, drizzle in another teaspoon of water.
• Transfer mixture to a work surface. Press it together until it becomes a lump of dough. Wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until chilled, at least 1 hour.
• Mix salt, pepper, thyme, sage, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, mustard, clove, and cayenne together in a small bowl.
• Place potato quarters in a saucepan; cover with cold water. Add 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Bring to a boil over high heat; reduce heat. Simmer until cooked through, 10 to 15 minutes. Scoop out potatoes and transfer to a bowl; save cooking liquid. Mash potatoes with a potato masher.
• Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add chopped onion and a pinch of salt. Cook and stir until onions turn golden, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Stir garlic, celery, and spice blend into the skillet with onions. Stir until onion mixture is evenly coated with the spices, about 30 seconds. Add ground beef and ground pork. Ladle about 3/4 cup of the potato cooking liquid into the skillet.
• Cook and stir until meat is browned and has a very fine, almost pastelike texture. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until meat is tender and most of the liquid has evaporated, about 45 minutes. Stir in mashed potatoes. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Divide chilled dough into 2 pieces, one just slightly larger than the other. Roll the larger piece out into a 12-inch circle on a lightly floured work surface. Place in a 9-inch deep dish pie plate. Roll top crust out into a circle about 11 inches in diameter. Cut small slits in the top crust to allow steam to escape.
• Fill bottom crust with the meat mixture; smooth out the surface. Whisk egg and water together to make egg wash. Brush edges of the bottom crust with egg wash. Place top crust on the pie and press lightly around the edges to seal. Trim excess dough from the crust. Crimp the edges of the crust. Brush entire surface of the pie with egg wash.
• Place in preheated oven. Bake until well browned, about 1 hour. Let cool to almost room temperature before serving.

PORK PIE

Steps:

• In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook bacon until fat begins to render, about 2 minutes. Add ground pork and cook, breaking it up into bite-size pieces, until no longer pink, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Return skillet to medium-high; swirl in oil. Add onion, garlic, and celery; season with salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and brown in spots, 7 to 9 minutes. Return pork mixture and any accumulated juices to skillet. Stir in potato, broth, cinnamon, and clove; season with pepper. Reduce heat to medium and simmer, stirring occasionally, until broth is mostly evaporated, 25 to 28 minutes.
• Transfer pork mixture to a bowl and let cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes. Lightly beat 1 egg; stir into pork mixture with parsley.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees with racks in center and lowest positions. Roll out one disk of dough to an 11-inch round on a work surface dusted with flour. Transfer to a 9-inch pie plate; trim edges to a 1/2-inch overhang. Transfer pork mixture to pie shell. Roll remaining dough to an 11-inch round and center over filling. Trim edges to a 1/2-inch overhang. Fold edges of top crust under edges of bottom crust, tucking dough until flush with edge of pie plate. Crimp edges with the tines of a fork. Freeze until firm, about 20 minutes. Beat remaining egg with 1 teaspoon water. Brush crust with egg wash, then cut a few vents in top of crust.
• Bake the chilled pie on the center rack with a rimmed baking sheet on the lowest rack (to catch any drips) until crust is golden brown and filling bubbles slightly through vents, 50 minutes to 1 hour. Let cool on a wire rack 30 minutes before slicing. Serve with mustard and cornichons.

FAVORITE FRENCH CANADIAN MEAT PIE

Steps:

• In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the pork, beef, veal, potatoes and onion until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the garlic, seasonings and 1/4 cup water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring frequently., Remove from the heat; cool to room temperature. Stir in bread crumbs. Combine egg and remaining water; stir into meat mixture. , Preheat oven to 400°. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to a 1/8-in.-thick circle; transfer to a 9-in. pie plate. Trim crust to 1/2 in. beyond rim of plate; flute edge. Fill with meat mixture. Roll remaining dough to a 1/8-in.-thick circle. Place over filling. Trim, seal and flute edge. Cut slits in top. Cover edges loosely with foil., Bake 15 minutes. Remove foil. Reduce heat to 375°; bake 30-35 minutes or until crust is golden brown.

PORK PIE

Steps:

• Brown ground beef and ground pork over medium heat until thoroughly cooked. Drain off grease.
• Mix together cooked meat, potatoes, salt, pepper, and nutmeg.
• Line a 9 inch pie dish with pastry. Spoon pork mixture into pie crust, and top with second pie crust. Brush top crust with egg white. Shield crust edges with aluminum foil to prevent burning.
• Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 45 minutes. Remove foil for final 15 minutes of baking to brown edges.