Mme Benoits Tourtire Recipes

FRENCH CANADIAN TOURTIERE

Steps:

• In a saucepan, combine pork, beef, onion, garlic, water, salt, thyme, sage, black pepper and cloves. Cook over medium heat until mixture boils; stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to low and simmer until meat is cooked, about 5 minutes. Allow to cool to room temperature.
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
• Spoon the meat mixture into the pie crust. Place top crust on top of pie and pinch edges to seal. Cut slits in top crust so steam can escape. Cover edges of pie with strips of aluminum foil.
• Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes; remove foil and return to oven. Bake for an additional 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool 10 minutes before slicing.

TRADITIONAL FRENCH CANADIAN TOURTIERE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• In a large pot, mix the pork, beef, onion, and water. Season with salt, pepper, allspice, cloves, cinnamon, and chicken seasoning. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer 30 minutes.
• Drain liquid from pot into a bowl. Transfer remaining meat mixture to a separate bowl and chill until ready to use. Place bowl with liquid in the refrigerator and chill 1 hour, or until fat has congealed on the surface.
• Scrape and discard fat from the chilled liquid. Spoon the meat mixture into pie crusts. Add 1 tablespoon of reserved liquid to each pie. (This prevents them from becoming to dry.) Place top crust on top of each pie and pinch edges to seal. Cut slits in top crust so steam can escape.
• Bake in preheated oven until golden brown, about 50 minutes. Serve immediately or freeze until ready to use.

CLASSIC TOURTIèRE OR QUéBEC PORK PIE

Steps:

• In a large, heavy frying pan, combine pork with cold water and heat to boiling point. It should be slightly soupy.
• Add onion, celery, pepper, bay leaf, savory, rosemary, nutmeg and cinnamon. Cook, covered, over medium-low heat for 1 1/4 hours; stir often. Add more water if mixture dries out.
• Halfway through cooking time, season with salt to taste.
• Stir in rolled oats and cook, stirring, for 1 to 2 minutes. Remove bay leaf and allow to cool. Setting the entire pot in the snow bank speeds up this process!
• Meanwhile, line two 9-inch pie plates with pastry. When meat mixture is lukewarm, divide it between two pie shells and spread it out evenly.
• Brush around outer edge of pastry with the beaten egg. Place top crust on the tart and press gently around the edge to seal. Trim pastry, crimp edges and cut steam vents in top crust. Decorate as desired.
• Bake in preheated 425°F oven for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 375°F and bake another 25 minutes or until crust is golden.

PASTRY DOUGH (MADAM BENOIT'S NO FAIL LEMON TANG PASTRY)

Steps:

• A LARGE MIXING BOWL: 5 cups flour 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon soda Use a whisk to mix.
• Cut in one pound of lard.
• Mix to resemble coarse crumbs.
• IN A ONE CUP MEASURING CUP: Add 1 whole egg 3 tablespoons lemon juice Mix with a fork and add enough water to fill the one cup measuring cup.
• Add the cup of liquid to the dry ingredients and mix until dough forms into a ball.
• (at this point I form into balls using approximate amount for the size pie plate I'm using and place into a plastic bag until ready to roll.) NOTE: Rolling the dough between two sheets of wax paper makes for a nice even sheet of pastry.
• This will make 3-4 double pies-- depending on what size pie pans you are using.

MME BENOIT'S TOURTIèRE

Steps:

• Place all ingredients except breadcrumbs and pastry in a saucepan.
• Bring to a boil and cook, uncovered, over medium heat for 20 minutes.
• Remove from heat and add a 3 or 4 spoonfuls of breadcrumbs.
• Let mixture stand for 10 minutes.
• If the fat is sufficiently absorbed by the breadcrumbs, do not add more. If not, add more crumbs in the same manner.
• Cool mixture and spoon into a pastry-lined pie plate.
• Cover with crust and bake at 400F until golden brown (follow directions for pie crust you chose).
• Serve hot.
• NOTE: Cooked tourtière may be frozen for 4 to 5 months and does not need to be thawed before reheating.
• To reheat, place your frozen tourtiere (covered in foil) in a medium oven and bake until a knife inserted in the center is hot when you pull it out.