Best Tourtiere Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Why does my tourtière fall apart? ›

As the breadcrumbs and the broth help add moisture to this recipe, added fat is an unwanted quantity that tends to make the tourtiere fall apart when cutting and also is just not very pleasant. Many of the same qualities that make a great meatloaf are also applied to this meat pie.

Meat pie is primarily made of ground meat (pork, beef or veal) and aromatics (onion, garlic, spices, etc.). In Saguenay–Lac‑Saint‑Jean and Charlevoix, however, “real” tourtière is a lot heartier than meat pie and contains other meats (such as game) and potatoes that have been simmered in stock.

It gets its name from the tourte, which is what it was originally made from. Though the name "tourtière" is derived from its filling, the tourte—the French name for the passenger pigeon that is now extinct in North America—was historically used as its filling before the 20th century.

Tourtière was always on the table, and in 17-century Québec, the pie was traditionally served in a cast-iron cauldron and stuffed with cubed meats, often wild game (rabbit, pheasant, or moose). Four centuries later, the pie remains a staple dish both at réveillon and in Québécois households.

Weigh Down Your Pie Crust

The pie weights help hold the pastry in place so that it can't sag or slump as it bakes. For generations we've been told that dry, uncooked beans or rice make great pie weights, or we've bought ceramic pie weights or a metal pie chain.

Traditionally, Tourtière is served with roasted vegetables or a light frisseé salad. An assortment of pickled foods is always delicious; pickled beets, spicy carrots, gherkins or pickled onions. Many enjoy a tomato-based chutney but most… just break out the ketchup.

tourtière, a double-crusted meat pie that is likely named for a shallow pie dish still used for cooking and serving tourtes (pies) in France. The ground or chopped filling usually includes pork and is sometimes mixed with other meats, including local game, such as rabbit, pheasant, or moose.

It's a traditional Québecois meat pie that combines ground pork and beef with potatoes, onions, and spices, all enveloped in a buttery pie crust. It's rich and delicious and is traditionally enjoyed on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve.

Tradition says this dish should be served after midnight Mass on Christmas Eve, but it would be a shame to limit its goodness to just one day a year. It's yummy either hot or cold.

There are two main categories of Québécois tourtière variations: deep-dish, and shallow.

What is the difference between a tourtière and a tourtière du Lac St Jean? ›

This variant originates from the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region of Quebec. The tourtière du Lac-Saint-Jean differs from a regular tourtière by having thicker crust, cubes of potatoes, meats and broth (instead of only minced meat), as well as being placed in a much larger and deeper container.

Though the dish has been around since at least the 17th century, the first appearance of tourtière in a cookbook is in La cuisinière Canadienne which was written and published by Louis Perrault in Montreal in 1840 — it is accepted as the first French language cookbook published in Canada.

Freshly Baked

If your Tourtiere is already baked, please store it in the fridge. For best results, the pie should be consumed within 4 days of purchase. To warm, place on a baking sheet in a preheated oven at 350°F. Bake a 9” pie for 45 minutes, a 5” pie for 25-30 minutes, and a hand pie for 15 minutes.

The Ancient Egyptians created the first example of what we know as pies today. Later on, closer to the 5th Century BC, the Ancient Greeks were believed to invent pie pastry as it is mentioned in the plays of the writer Aristophanes and it was possible to work as a pastry chef in this era, a separate trade to a baker.

Too much flour = dry pie dough. Once mixed, your dough should stick together when you pinch it between your fingers. If it doesn't, you need to add more moisture. Even if you think your pie dough resembles the Sahara desert, show some restraint when adding more water.

You may be over baking the custard. Pumpkin pie, and other custard type pies, need to be baked until they are done around the outside, but still slightly wobbly in the center. If you cook it at too high a temperature, or bake it for too long, it will curdle or shrink.

When dough doesn't have enough water, or if it's not properly hydrated (more on that below), it will feel and look dry and be prone to cracking.

Any number of things can contribute to a slumping crust. Maybe your recipe uses an extra-high amount of shortening or butter, or you rolled the crust too vigorously, or you didn't let it rest and chill before baking. Perhaps you used the wrong size pan, or not enough filling.