French Meat Pie Recipes

TOURTIèRE: A FRENCH-CANADIAN MEAT PIE RECIPE

Steps:

• Combine flour and salt in a large bowl.
• Cut in butter or lard until mixture is a rough crumbly texture.
• Add ice water one tablespoon at a time and mix just until the dough comes together.
• Shape the dough into a ball, flatten, wrap, and chill in the refrigerator. While pastry is chilling, prepare the filling.
• Peel and cut potatoes into 2-inch chunks, add them to a medium saucepan, and fill with water until it covers the potatoes by 2-inches.
• Bring the saucepan to a boil over high heat and then reduce the heat to medium-high and boil until the potatoes are until tender, about 12 minutes.
• Reserve 1/2-cup of potato water and drain the rest. Mash potatoes and set aside.
• Heat a large skillet over medium heat.
• Add olive oil, onions, and garlic, and sauté until softened, about 3 minutes.
• Add the ground beef and pork and cook until the meat is no longer pink. Drain off excess fat.
• Add the poultry seasoning, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, salt, pepper, and reserved potato water. Mix well and simmer for about 10 minutes until the liquid is absorbed.
• Remove the skillet from the heat, stir in mashed potatoes, and set the filling aside to cool slightly.
• 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 the pie in a preheated oven 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.

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.

MEAT PIE (TOURTIERE)

Steps:

• Bake the potato until done, 30 - 45 minutes in a preheated 400 degrees F (205 degrees C) oven. Peel and mash the potato.
• Place the potato, ground pork, onion, spices and water in a large frying pan and simmer until very thick, for about one hour.
• Meanwhile, prepare your pastry.
• Line a deep-dish pie plate with pastry. Spoon in filling, spreading evenly. Cover with top crust.
• Brush with beaten egg and sprinkle with paprika, if desired. Cut steam vent. Bake for 50 minutes at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). If edges brown too fast, cover with a strip of foil. Serve warm.

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.

FRENCH MEAT PIE

Steps:

• In a Dutch oven, cook the beef, pork and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. , In a small bowl, combine potatoes and seasonings. Roll out half of pastry to fit a 9-in. pie plate; trim pastry even with edge of plate. Fill with meat mixture. , Roll out remaining pastry to fit top of pie; place over filling. Trim, seal and flute edges. Cut slits in pastry. Brush with egg if desired. Bake at 375° for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown.

FRENCH MEAT PIE

Steps:

• Combine beef, pork, onion and water in a medium saucepan and mix well.
• Cook, covered, over low heat until the ground beef and pork are cooked through, stirring occasionally.
• Boil the potatoesin water to cover in a small saucepan until tender; drain.
• Add to the meat mixture.
• Add the salt, allspice, cloves and pepper and mix well; remove from heat.
• Mash the mixture with a potato masher.
• Roll the pastry into two 11-inch circles on a lightly floured surface.
• Fit 1 pastry into a 9-inch pie plate.
• Fill with the meat mixture.
• Cover with the remaining pastry, fluting the edge and cutting several vents.
• Bake at 450' for 20 minutes or the crust is golden brown.

FRENCH MEAT PIE

Steps:

• Dissolve the Better Than Bouillon chicken into the hot water. Set aside.
• In a large pot or Dutch oven, over medium heat. Cook the onion and celery for about 5 minutes to slightly soften. Stir with a wooden spoon to not burn.
• Add the chicken stock mixture, ground pork, ground beef, and poultry seasoning. Cook over medium heat until the meat is cooked, about 20 minutes.
• Add the breadcrumbs, allspice, ground cloves, and black pepper. Stir to combine. Let cook another 10 minutes.
• Add salt to taste. Should only need a pinch of salt. (remember bouillon and breadcrumbs already have salt in them)
• Let cool completely. Add to unbaked pie shells. Either homemade pie crust or store-bought. Top with pie crust. Roll edges under and pinch around the entire pie. Use a sharp knife to slice a slit in the top of each pie.
• Brush with egg wash. Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven until the crust is nicely browned. About 30 to 45 minutes.
• Makes two 9-inch pies.

FRENCH MEAT PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350*.
• Sauté ground beef and pork with onions until no longer pink.
• In another pan boil and mash potatoes with garlic powder, salt and pepper.
• Do not drain fat from ground meat mixture.
• Add crumbled soda crackers, cinnamon, thyme, sage and mix well, the crackers help absorb a lot of the moisture and gives it great taste and texture.
• Next add mashed potatoes and mix well. I cool this before putting in crust but it isn't necessary if your baking it right away.
• Use a deep dish 9 or 10 inch pie plate and line bottom with 1 crust.
• Fill crust and then place second crust over filling, press edges together to seal: cut slits in top crust.
• Bake for 30-40 minutes or until golden brown.
• This recipe may be made ahead of time and baked later, up to 24 hours ahead as long as kept refrigerated.
• Also can be frozen after prepared for a later date.
• I have started making this in 2 smaller foil pie pans and freeze one for another time. Each pie feeds 4 or 2 with leftovers.

10-INCH FRENCH MEAT PIE

Steps:

• For the Dough:
• The dough can be made in advance. You will need 1 pound of dough to make this pie. Blend the shortening, flour and cold water together in the bowl of a stand mixer on low speed, using a dough hook. Mix until well blended. Remove the dough from the bowl, wrap in plastic wrap and put it on a sheet pan. The dough can be stored for up to 1 week in the refrigerator, but allow it to come to room temperature before rolling.
• Cut the dough in half and roll out 1 piece of dough to fit into a 10-inch pie plate. Fit the dough circle into the bottom of the pie pan, pushing it snugly against the edges. Roll out the other piece of dough and set aside until ready to use.
• For the Filling:
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil over medium heat. Add the potatoes and blanch until al dente. Drain and set aside to cool.
• In a large skillet over medium heat, add the beef, pork, and the onions. Brown the meat, then discard the grease. Add the potatoes and moisten the mixture with the beef soup base, as needed. Use the instant potato to tighten the mixture, if needed. Season with cinnamon, nutmeg, garlic, black pepper and 1/4 teaspoon salt.
• Pour the filling into the dough-lined pie plate. Level it off and cover with the remaining circle of dough. Pinch the edges of the bottom layer and top layer of dough together and create the knuckle-like pie edge ridges. Trim off any excess dough using a sharp knife.
• Brush the top of the pie with the egg wash. Make a few slits in the top crust to allow the steam to escape.
• Bake until cooked through and the top of the pie is golden brown, about 45 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and serve.