Tourtières

Tourtière is a traditional French Canadian pork pie usually served on Christmas Eve. When I spent Christmas visiting friends in Ottawa, we would buy a very good one ready made from Sasloves in the Byward Market. It makes for an easy main course after winter days of shopping, visiting, tennis playing or other activities when you don’t have time to cook. Tourtière is traditionally served with chilli sauce but my friend, Anne, serves it with tomato butter, a richer tastier option.

I make this mini-version of tourtière and freeze it in preparation for holiday gatherings.

Mini Tourtières

Makes about 24 tourtières

Filling:

15 mL (1 Tbsp) butter

500 g (1 lb) ground pork (or a mixture of ground pork and beef)

50 mL (1/4 cup) finely chopped fresh parsley

1 clove garlic, minced

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 stalk celery, finely chopped

25 mL (2 Tbsp) all-purpose flour

1 mL (1/4 tsp) ground cloves

50 mL (1/4 cup) strong beef stock

Pastry:

375 mL (1-1/2 cups) all-purpose flour

1 mL (1/4 tsp) salt

150 mL (2/3 cup) cold unsalted butter

45 mL (3 Tbsp) approx. cold water

Glaze:

1 egg, beaten

10 mL (2 tsp) water

Filling:

Melt butter in a large heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add pork; cook stirring constantly to break up the meat. Stir in parsley, garlic, onion and celery. Cook, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Stir in flour, cloves and stock; cook, stirring until mixture thickens. Process pork mixture in a food processor fitted with a metal blade using pulse motion for 3 or 4 seconds or until finely ground. Transfer to bowl, cover and set aside.

Pastry:

In food processor, combine flour, salt and butter. Process with pulse motion for a few seconds. Sprinkle with water and mix until soft dough forms, adding up to 15 mL (1 Tbsp) more water if necessary. (Alternatively, place flour and salt in a bowl; cut in butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle with water and mix until soft dough forms.)

On lightly floured board, roll out half the pastry 3 mm (1/8”) thick. Use 7.5 cm (3”) round cookie cutter to cut circles. Place in 5.5 cm (2-1/4”) muffin tins. Fill with pork mixture. Roll out pastry scraps and cut into circles 1 cm (1/2”) in diameter; place on top of pork mixture.

Glaze:

In small bowl, beat together egg and water.

Brush small pastry circles with egg wash and bake in a preheated 220°C (425°F) oven for 25 minutes. Let cool slightly and remove from tins.

Freeze tourtières, uncovered, in single layer on baking sheets. Do not thaw before reheating.

To reheat: Preheat oven to 220°C (425°F). Bake frozen tourtières in a single layer on a baking sheet for about 20 minutes or until sizzling.