Mme Benoits Tourtière 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.