Login to post a comment
Main Dishes
Memere Rousseau’s Tourtiere (Meat Pie Recipe)
Made with ground pork, potatoes, and spices in a rich pastry crust, this traditional tourtiere recipe (French meat pie) is a holiday classic.
Memere Rousseau’s Tourtiere (Meat Pie) Recipe
Photo Credit : Heath RobbinsThis traditional French meat pie recipe, known as tourtiere, has a crust so light that it melts in your mouth and can be eaten piping hot from the oven or cold from the refrigerator. A pork pie recipe like this one is especially common during the holiday season.
SEE MORE:
Steamed Plum Pudding Recipe
Memere’s Meat Stuffing Recipe
Yield:
1 meat pie, about 10 servingsIngredients
2 pounds ground pork
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups water
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves (or more to taste)
3 cups mashed potatoes
Penny’s Piecrust
1 tablespoon milk
Instructions
In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, combine pork, onion, salt, and water. Simmer gently, stirring often, until all liquid evaporates, about 4 hours. Stir in spices. Add potatoes and beat well to combine thoroughly. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Line a pie plate with one crust. Spoon in pork/potato mixture. Add top crust and flute the edges. Brush the top with milk and prick with a fork. Bake 30 minutes.
Penny's Piecrust
Ingredients
4 cups flour, plus extra for work surface
2 teaspoons salt
1-3/4 cups shortening
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon vinegar
1/2 cup ice water
Instructions
In a large bowl, combine flour and salt. Cut shortening in, until pieces are about the size of a pea. Add egg, vinegar, and ice water. Work mixture into a soft, cohesive dough ball. Divide in half, and put one half aside for another pie (or freeze). Cut other dough mass in half. On a work surface dusted with flour, roll out bottom and top crusts. Yield: 2 two-crust pies
Question on the mash potatoes, are the mashed potatoes just plain mashed after cooking or do you add the milk, or cream and butter as if you were making them as a side dish for a meal.
I have been making this recipe for the last five years now, and I love it. It is the closest to my childhood memories. I like to think that Mémère Rousseau was a relative as the name is up there in my family tree! I have reduced the clove and cinnamon to 1/4 tsp, but I can’t omit it entirely – it is SO traditional! I also added some sage and savoury (about 1/4 tsp each), and I usually used mixed meats (pork, veal and beef, sometimes even duck!). I also use one cup of instant potato flakes instead of the mashed potatoes, an that works really well. I grew up in Québec, and it is so interesting how each region has their own version of the recipe. Serve with homemade green tomato ketchup (also called Chow-chow).
Add 2 tsps of Bells and reduce the potatoes to 1 lb and you’ll have a much better pie.
Agree on the potatoes, but try eliminating the clove and increasing the Bells to 2 tblspns.
Love this pie! Love anything European Peoples cultural food. But it is sooo filling and good. Love the pork in it.
Love the comments! Seems this was more of a tradition than I knew. My mom grew up in Dexter, Maine, and this was her family’s christmas eve tradition. My grandparents were both orphans who road the train and were adopted by french-canadian families. My mom continued the tradition when she married. This was a ritual my 10 siblings looked forward to each year. I remember this being an all day experience. From cooking and grinding the pork, boiling the potatoes, making the pie crusts, and finally putting it all together and baking (or freezing for later). We called them “touchee” pies, probably because it was easier to say as a child. My mom would serve the pies with various types of pickles, olives, and cranberry sauce. Thanks for the trip down memory lane!
Roberta! My grandmother Athalie (Clukey) Bascom was from Dexter, too. She and we all also call them touchee pies!
Keeping her delicious legacy alive, I’m currently typing up the recipe for my niece, her great-granddaughter, who intends to take the reigns and make touchee pies for the family this xmas ????
I clipped the original article. It calls for 3 cups of mashed potatoes. I make it every year and it’s delicious.
Every year at Christmas time I log on to this blog before making a Tourtiere (or the pate “Corton” ). I love reading the comments- its like a reunion!! My Grandma
Dorval, long gone, used to make them for the holidays. I re-established the tradition; its like reconnecting with my roots. Grandma came from a village between Quebec and Sherbrooke. In her version, she used pork, and Bells Seasonings- which was probably not available when she first began cooking as a young mother in rural Quebec. Years ago, due to my aunt and mother’s prodding to cut down on the pork fat, which served as a “binder”, she began using potatoes. Bells Seasoning was a convenience replacing the herbs and spices, and replacing pork fat with potatoes a healthier option, both a later development, and no doubt a later American influence.
I too grew up making my meat pies with Bell’s Seasoning. My father grew up in New Brunswick Canada. I used to make these for my husband’s French Canadian grandfather and he looked forward to them every Christmas. All 3 of our sons and their families love it also. I now make them for Thanksgiving, Christmas or whenever the mood strikes. Of course you have to make sure the ground pork is available.
Yes, Bells seasoning was what was used by my Mamere also! I have never been able to match the flavor of her creations. I think it is a mixture of love and pork fat. ????
♥️ Love it! Pork fat and love.
Try using allspice and thyme, rather than cloves and cinnamon. BEtter taste, I think.
I just read all these recipes,my mother-law taught me hers.she said it came from Quebec Canada,family relatives.As of today I have not come upon a recipe. Like it.the first step is to BROWN FLOUR,do this days ahead it does smell up the house but it is a very important step.make pie crust her and her sisters would make 20-25 pies and was a must to have on New Years Day! Make meat filling of beef and pork onions seasonings and mashed potatoes,cook for 2 hrs,fill crust bake,step 3 make the RAGU they called it and to me this is what makes a meat pie great! Brown Pigs Feet!I. Ever
If you are interested in a great meat pie recipe with a RAGU (gravy) and little meatballs and a need to BROWN FLOUR I am willing to share mine. I have read a lot of recipes
If you are interested is a great meat pie recipe I have one,it is time consuming but well worth it,it has a RAGU (gravy) which no one I have asked about meat pies ever heard about,then need to BROWN FLOUR,make meat filling ,crusts then the RAGU (gravy)this is the secret that makes theses meat pies so great,if at all interested be glad to share,will say it is not a short Recipe!!
Could I please have your lovely recipes? Thank you!
I have that recipe!! My mom used to make it and I have only made it once, but my daughter was going through my recipes the other day to get my tortiere recipe and came across it again and would like to make it again!!! It is very good!!!
Is it possible to have your recipe for the Ragoux Gravy. My mother use to make something similar every New Year’s Day.
I make this delicious French Meat Pie for Christmas Eve dinner every year – whether I am alone of have company. I have introduced it to many people over the years. It is a wonderful, warm, fragrant way to celebrate, especially with my homemade cranberry sauce! Bon Appétit, everyone!
I’d love to have your recipe.
I am in a covid hospital at the moment, looking at dishes that I don’t expect to eat for a while, but given me something to look forward to!
Best wishes for a speedy recovery and that you are soon enjoying the recipes!
can i have your recipe for ragou boullette,this is want my mom made and i dont have the recipe!
I would love to have your recipe. I make meat pies every year for Christmas and always serve a brown gravy made from the dripping of the meat. Your gravy sounds so much better.
You have the Ragu recipe for pork hocks? With cinnamon and other spices and made with browned flour?? My mom made once a year that but she never has a recipe. I have tried To replicate it but hit the mark. I would really appreciate seeing your recipe!
My mother made ragout every year, usually in late January or February. She browned the flour a few days ahead (a cast iron skillet works best for this); and then made a “stew” with pork hocks and chicken breasts. When they were cooked, she’d bone the meat, then add beef meatballs. (Ragout traditionally means a stew of different meats). Once the meatballs were done, she’d remove the meat from the broth, and then made the gravy- using her browned flour. We served it over boiled potatoes, with fresh bread to sop up that amazing gravy. Her recipe made 4-5 quarts of the stew, and it was a 2-3 day affair (it tasted best once it rested at least a day.) It took me three years of making it by her side, and writing down each step, the quantity, etc. before I got it just right. I still make it occasionally, for nostalgic reasons, and my family never fails to come over and help us eat it!
I would also love your recipe out here in Colorado. My husband is from Worcester and always talks of his memere making it but no recipe
This is almost the same as my mother’s, for which she never had a recipe, but she also used pigs’ feet in addition to the hocks, and took all the meat off to add to the others.
I just loved this article on French meat Pies. My grandmother used to make it at Christmas time and My Mom also keeped up the tradition and past it to me, and now I to my children. I love hearing about the tradition of making this wonderful delicious meal that lives on from generation to generation. I would love to see a contest put together to get all the different recipes and ingredients that have been developed and used over the years. What a wonderful Christmas tradition to pass on to our children. Thank you and Merry Christmas to all ????
I really enjoy the recipes, but sometimes, the comments are better than the recipes. I love reading the comments on the tourtiere recipe. I am French and my neighbors were originally from Québec. Hélène loved making tourtieres et cretons. My parents and Helene and Constant were the same age, and when my parents visited, they would have more fun together. Wonderful memories. Joyeux Noel to all.
I loved reading all the comments about this Tourtiere recipe. My mother has passed down our family Tourtiere recipe which is wonderful, and made with ground pork and ground beef. I would love to try a recipe using a pork butt. If anybody has one that they’d be willing to share, I’d love to have it. Thanks, in advance.
It is so interesting to see a Memere Rousseau in a New England magazine. My first thought when reading that name is why do they have a Cajun recipe in this magazine?! ???? It makes sense that some of those exiled Acadians would end up in New England. Down here we only learned about the ones who ended up in Louisiana and became Cajuns. I’d love to hear stories about the Acadians who ended up in New England. I wonder if I have a long lost relative in New England. I do have a dash of French in me!! ????
There are many many many French Canadians (Acadians) in New England. There were more LeBlanc’s in my town’s phone book than any other name, and I am from Massachusetts. My mother was a Girouard. Got any down there?
Is there a difference between these meat pies and pork pies? My dad grew up in the Lawrence, Mass area and always brought home pork pies when he went back there to visit. But they didn’t have ground meat in them but a single ball of meat inside. I have looked several places in the NE area but so far have only found the ground meat type.
If the how is your father brought home were from Twaites they were English pies, with the ball of meat (yummo) . We always made our French meat pies but they used to sell them very good at Paul’s market that was on Andover Street I make them at least once a month and at Christmas whole bunch of gifts well not so many anymore cuz everybody’s gone but we put ketchup on them not gravy and I love the Gorton, I don’t care if it’s on bread crackers or right out of a spoon. My last name is Beausejour. My Memere made everything from scratch and taught me. Fresh and homemade is the best way to go.
Hartley’s in Lincoln RI makes the best pies. Short open hours, usually sold out by noon, can call to place an order.
My sister lives in Lincoln RI and gets her pies from Hartley’s. I’m the only one of the 5 kids who makes her own pies. And I use the meat stuffing with the Turkeys. Have changed the recipe many times over the years but would not fail to include Bell’s seasoning. Some have requested no potatoes so I substitute bread crumbs instead.
I learned from my cousin how to make the toutiere and we always used crushed cracker crumbs. Saltenes or Ritz. I make it for my husband every year and he loves it
Our handed-down (great-great-grandmother Rivard’s) Tourtiere calls for no celery and no potatoes, you soak saltines in milk . . . It’s amazing. The big divide . . . With or without gravy? Five generations of folks who fall on one side or the other. Delicious with or without gravy, in a pie or as stuffing.
The pork pies we had in the Lawrence area, were an English type. Small and made for one person. The meat inside was ground, but dense as if it was one piece of meat. Thwaite’s Market in Methuen makes what most people consider the best.
TRIPOLI’S PIZZA/ BAKERY!! Yummy!
My late father, Norbert Jean Belanger LaSalle, from Nashua, New Hampshire, made Tookay for after Midnight mass our entire lives. Now I am making 20 or so a year to send to all the grands, nieces and nephews. We use only pork, savory, sage, pepper, onion and mashed potatoes, simmered in white wine and chicken broth for about 6 hours ( takes that long for 30 lbs, adding the mashed potatoes at the end). We serve it warm with cranberry sauce, cornichons, beets and for some, ketchup. Along with homemade chicken liver pate, sharp cheddar and brie, crusty bread and yellow pea soup, no one needs food till Christmas dinner!! My father’s Tante Isabelle said this was served every Christmas Eve he had growing up on French Hill. We try to keep our French and Canadian customs alive for every generation although they keep getting less French!
My mom was from N.B. Canada and she used savory and sage too. I think I’ve lost her original recipe (actually I think she had it in her head). I used to watch her Canada
I’m Italian and grew up in Connecticut but my mom was originally from New Bedford, Massachusetts, where we would go often to visit my grandparents. There was a bakery in New Bedford that sold the most delicious French meat pies, and when I grew up and moved to Cape Cod, would travel to the bakery in nearby New Bedford to buy the pies. Unfortunately, sometime in the 1970s the bakery closed and I couldn’t find an alternative for the pies in or around New Bedford. For a while I was able to buy French meat pies that were sent from Canada, frozen, very good and available at my local grocery store. Those are no longer available either. I tried a recipe for them that I found on line but wasn’t happy with the results. I will definitely give this one a try, which sounds wonderful.
In Somerset Massachusetts There’s Hartleys meat pies they are excellent https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/columnist/greatamericanbites/2014/09/25/hartleys-meat-pork-pie-massachusetts/16158737/
Regarding the potato; this is meant to be a shallow, flat pie with mostly meat, eaten cold. Adding the potato makes it something other than a French meat pie—in my opinion.
My maternal grandparents were from Farnham Quebec, 45 miles east of Montreal and emigrated to Central Falls RI and her recipe included plain mashed potatoes as a binder because the meat was so lean.
I agree with the potato. There are soo many versions of this pie, it’s hard to find just the right recipe.
My mom was a die-hard French-Canadian and learned this from her mother who learned it from her mother. She never added mashed potato to it at all. It is so good. The only other spice my mom suggested was powdered Sage … just 1/2 tsp.
This recipe is INCREDIBLE! Easy and simple to prepare and very satisfying! I’ll be making them for my family, this Christmas Eve. Thank you so much, Penny and everyone who brought this recipe to Yankee! ???? God Bless, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, to all.
My version is from my mimere Racicot who had it passed to her from her québécois mother and it used only pork butt long simmered with onions and spices include allspice in addition to cinnamon, ginger and celery salt. My mother was one of 14 children, the aunts would spend a day cooking from the heart and they would all gather after midnight mass on Christmas Eve to savor this tradition and the love of their families
We continue this tradition in honor of our mimeres and love of our families
My grandmother was a Racicot. Ended up living in Adams/Cheshire MA.
I am a Rousseau and my Memere Rousseau also made pork pies (although she is not the Memere Rousseau this recipe is named for – just a happy coincidence). Only pork would do and never bread crumbs – mashed potato only, and Bell’s is only for the meat stuffing at Thanksgiving. I have taken up this tradition as well, only I don’t use as much onion and use cinnamon, clove and nutmeg.
NO, NO, NO!. Don’t use ground pork, use pork butt and make sure there’s lots of fat. My grandmother, who was born in 1892, made tourtiere then passed the recipe to my mother, then Ma passed the recipe to us. I’ve tried tourtiere (and creton) with ground port and it definitely is not as good as the butt. It’s worth the extra work in first cooking the meat, then grinding it (back in the 60s and 70s, we used a hand crank grinder), putting it back in the extra large pot with the water, then cooking and stirring the meat until there is absolutely no more water. All eight kids looked forward to breakfast on Christmas Day so that we could have our toast with creton. Then next day, we attacked la tourtiere. Oh, I really have to make some this year.
Hi would you mind sharing your authentic recipe?
Oh, I did forget an important ingredient when grinding the meat. After doing that, grind the onions, too. Then cook the pork and onions and spices in the large pot of the water until there is no more water. Continue from there.
I have made this numerous times & it is really good. On occasion I will use ground venison in either a 100% portion, or 1/2 venison mixed with pork. You can’t go wrong with this one.
When we lived in Taunton MA we got the best French Meat Pie at Arts Bakery which incidentally is a Portuguese Bakery. My wife’s a great cook but not a Baker and we live in Upstate NY now so I’m going to try this as I miss the meat pies so
John, I remember Arts Bakery well. I used to live in Raynham but have moved to Tennessee after my husband and I retired. We both grew up in Townsend though. My father was French Canadian and my mother always made pork pies for Christmas Eve. Unfortunately she never wrote her recipe down before passing away. I am trying to find the perfect recipe to try and make this year. Will have to try this one.
This sort of reminds me of my English cottage pie recipe, but set in a pie crust. When I make this, I will add a little veg after the meat has cooked, just for the added nutrition.
Can I prepare the meat mixture in a slow cooker on low for 4 hrs??
Just made a gluten-free version made with almond flour!
I make a tourtiere, this being the french name. from a recipe from my grandmother who was born in Nova Scotia in 1867 I watch her make these pies to be eaten after the midnight Mass on Christmas eve. A very similar as your recipe, with this difference, however she never used cinnamon but the added two slice of bread that had been toasted to a very dark color and crushed added to pork mixture. Today I use half hamburg half pork easier to digest without changing the taste.
I too would love to have your recipe for Tourtierre. My mother’s kitchen was remodeled after 49 years and I cannot fine her recipe. Every one I’ve seen online doesn’t taste quite the same. Her recipe was from a newspaper back in the 50’s from a Mrs. Arthur Gregoire. I can see the photo in my mind. Thanks so much
Hi, Dolores. May I have your tourtiere recipe, please? I’m not French but my spouse is and he’d love some for Christmas. Thank you andMerry Christmas from NH!
Hi would you mind sending me a copy as well if you are willing to share. I’m looking for a recipe that’s authentic and one passed down would be awesome!
Would you mind sharing your family recipe? I’m from New Hampshire and have made several Different and can’t get the same taste from home. My Meme was French Canadian. My email address is bainnababe@gmail.com thank you so very much in advance Michele
My Mémère (dad’s side) died when I was 3 and Mémère on mom’s side died when mom was 5. Mom didn’t cook anything fancy but I had aunts on dad’s side who cooked a lot. The way I remember it was pie containing pork only was known as pork pie. Any meat mixture was called meat pie. A meat stuffing for the turkey was the only mixture using Bell’s Seasoning.
Would love to have someone’s recipe for cretin and tourtiere
I wonder if” Memere Rousseau ” was my Aunt Eva Rousseau. Sounds like her recipe!
This is my actual Memere Rousseau! My Mom’s maiden name was Rousseau. This is the recipe of Her mother, Alice Fournier Rousseau from Fall River.
So nostalgic. I loved reading all the recipes. My Mom always made the pie for New Years. Once at Disney/Epcot we went to the Canadian restaurant and ate tourtiere there and it had mixed potatoes and a little bit of carrots to the mixture. It was very good. My pork is always too lean and seams dry. Thanks for the tip on the bacon grease (lard) which I will add to my mixture.
Instead of cloves I add cinnamon and sage and instead of three lbs of ground pork I use one lb of ground pork, one lb of ground veal, one lb of ground sirloin and 1/3 of a tube of sausage with sage. Everything else remains the same.
Memere would roast beef, pork and veal together, serve it for supper, then using an old fashioned meat grinder and grind the left over meats for her meat pies
I have enjoyed the ethnic recipes and most of all, the comments so much. I live in Maine, but grew up in Gardner,MA. I am Finnish, but grew up with many French Canadians. I remember and have enjoyed this French Christmas Meat pie. It is so nostalgic to remember these youthful experiences. Thank you for sharing these comments, it makes the holidays that much more special!
I noticed that you grew up in Gardner, MA…Did you ever attend the Holy Rosary Fair held in October? They had the best Pork Pie and the children enjoyed the fair. Great little town gathering. I grew up in Ashburnham. Merry Christmas, Linda
Made this recipe and my husband was in heaven, reminded him of the old days.
I had a neighbor from Canada, that made this one evening for dinner, back in ’90 . She moved and I never got her recipe for this amazing tasty meat pie, but I recall hers to have a little gravy, could someone give me some hints on how to acquire this. I am so glad I found this recipe. I remember the taste of cloves which was out of this world.
By mashed potatoes, do you mean to mix the potatoes with milk and butter or just mash the potatoes alone. I’m making this tonight. I’d love an answer soon if anyone knows.
just mash them, no milk, no butter. then mix them up with the meat mixture
My family has always used sausage ground up and mixed in and after the potatoes mashed(no milk or butter) use at spoon of Bells seasoning.mix well add more if needed.
We never made it a pie just put it in a 13/9 pan and also cooked it in the turkey.
I’m not sure where our meat pie originated – as far as I know it was my great grandmother Mary Arsenault Gallant’s recipe, who was from Prince Edward Island. The pie was made with chunks of beef and pork, with poultry seasoning, bay leaves, garlic and baked in a bread dough crust.
I think about my grandmothers pie often. She passed away several years ago before I even thought of getting the recipe. My mother is an Arsenault, and my Meme was a Gallant (both of course from PEI). I was talking to my mom about pie today and I came upon this webpage. She remembers the bread like crust. She said my grandmother also used both beef and pork, whether this was while living on PEI or when they moved to the states she doesn’t remember. Do you have a recipe for the pie and the crust? We want to try and recreate this lovely pie. Thank you so much! kelli.cotton@gmail.com
I don’t have the exact recipe but growing up on PEI, my French mother would make “meat pies” for Christmas. She would simmer for hours lots of onions, cubes of different meats (mainly pork but also a bit of chicken, rabbit and if available, partridge) and summer savory She would chill it overnight in the fridge. Next day she would take the fat that rose to the top and use it in place of lard for crust. She also used the juice from the meat as the liquid. It was similar to a biscuit type dough. The dough would be rolled out in a circle, meat placed on one half and folded over. It was different than what I saw here but I’m sure as delicious as yours!
Can you substitute beef for pork and use the same recipe?
No one says you can’t use beef – its just not done that way. I would like to try with venison or caribou one day. I remember ma tante making this and my Mom (the American) saying cinnamon??!! We grew up in NJ but my Dad was from Quebec. I decided to learn to make this after having it many times in Canada. I use a pinch of cinnamon as the family isn’t fond of it, but use cloves, allspice and even some thyme and sage. Wonderful….a Christmas eve staple for many years in our American home. I love making foods from my childhood as well as my heritage and this is such a comfort dish.
Hi Jackie I grew up in a French Canadian family, and my mother and father always put pork and beef in their pies. Everything else seems right. My cousins carry on the tradition with pork AND beef! Merry Christmas
My family uses pork beef and sausage links ground up and bells seasoning.
Three cups, 1.5 cups or 1 oz – no potatoes – period! Use hand crumbled crusty bread instead and only to amount needed to adsorb fat. Agreed on ground pork and no burger. I use 80/20 in mine.
My great-grandmother was a Daigle by birth and a Comeau by marriage. She immigrated to Skowhegan Maine from Richibouctou New Brunswick. Her recipe called for sage and a little allspice instead of cinnamon/cloves and we always pronounced it “Toot-chey”. All the different family variations are facinating!
In Yankee Magazines 2010 Best New England Recipes Memere Rousseau Tourtiere Recipe has 1 1/2 cups of mashed potatoes and this same recipe has 3 cups of potatoes, can someone clear this up for me as I would like to make it soon. Thanks
Hi Connie, I have made this recipe every New Years since it first appeared in 2010. It turns out wonderfully with the 1 and 1/2 cups of potatoes. I’m thinking the 3 cups would be too much. Maybe 2 cups but no more. It does make more than filling one 9 inch pie. Anyway, I’m sticking with the tnt 2010 version.
Connie and Keith. I think there are as many pronunciations of this as there are “authentic” recipes. I’m multi-generational Franco-American but also too formal french in college. Around Sandford/Rochester it was always more toot-kay sounding. A professor once told me he thought it was from all (tout) pork (cai a regional old French word for pork) . I’ve heard it pronounced many different ways except interestingly, I’ve never heard it called a well accented tourtiere.
The French meat pies in our family were handed down through the generations. My mother always pronounced it “toot-kay” too! We are from central Massachusetts, but our ancestry is from Quebec when traced back.
Hi Connie — good catch! When we re-ran the recipe in print in 2015, we wanted to make it a bit more substantial, so we doubled the amount of potatoes (depicted in the featured photo you see here). We’ll update the recipe with a note in case anyone else notices the same inconsistency. Thanks!
How do you pronounce tourtiere? Is the pronounciation different in Waterville, Sanford, Lowell or Canada? When I bought some in Lowell the vendor called it Tur-chey, or that’s what I heard. (I’m not a French speaker).
I meant to add that the “too-shay” pronunciation, which is common in central Maine where I’m from, is an Anglicized form of the sometimes-rapidly-spoken French around here. The word does come out sounding like that!
Ken, the actual French pronunciation is not easy to write out in English. The name of the pie is “tourtière,” so with the accent it would sound something like tour’-ti-aire, with a bit less of the long A sound at the end (or something like toortyehr, as I’ve also seen it). “Tourtière” comes from the word “tourte,” the name of the dish that the pie was originally cooked in.
In our family in Greenville NH [ a very francophone town] it is often pronounced Tour Kay [ and it’s possible it might also be tour queille …that last syllable rhyming with soleil. Wish my mom were still alive to ask , but I will inquire of other relatives to verify.
My family is from Winslow/Waterville area, and we pronounce it Too-shay. That’s how I’ve always heard it growing up, even from other French-Canadian families that make this dish. My aunts make up to 10 pies a year and give some away, some to freeze and some for Christmas Eve dinner. You will probably find different pronounciations throughout Maine and Quebec and other parts of northeast US with rich francophone heritage.
What a delight to read about French meat pies and all the traditions I grew up with! My mouth is watering to take tastes of all the variations!
I smiled to read this. My in-laws made a different meat pie called “Potty”. I’m sure that’s not the original name or spelling! The pie is cooked shredded pork and tiny onions layered between a crust that is actually a type of bread. It is served with a “gravy” which is derived from the water that the pork was cooked in. The only seasoning is salt and pepper. Sounds terrible but is actually very good, very hearty.
Bee, I HAVE BEEN LOOKING FOR SOMEONE WHO REMEMBERS POTTY PIE!!! My grandmother’s Aunt Louise always made both Tourtiere and Potty(sp?) and I have never been able to find a recipe so a couple years ago I just winged it from memory and I have to admit it was pretty close. So glad to have someone else who knows it too! TY
With an electric stove and high electric rates, pie fillings that takes 4 – 5 hours to cook is out of the question. Nevertheless, the recipe sounds delicious!
Simmering on very low heat does not use that much electricity. I wonder if anyone has used a crockpot instead.
Rochette’s Beans
Lowell’s Famous Rochett’s Baked Beans
2 lbs California pea beans or any dried white pea beans
1 ½ teaspoons salt
1 lb salt pork – cut in 2-inch squares
¼ cup ketchup
Wash beans thoroughly. Drain and pour into 4 ½ quart
Bean pot. Add pork, ketchup, salt and a little water.
Stir to mix thoroughly. Add enough water to come up
2 inches from the top of the pot. Cover pot and cook for
5 hours at 350 degrees. Remove lid and cover beans
with ½ inch of water. Continue baking beans uncovered
for 2 hours more, or until the salt pork is cooked to taste
Makes 8 to 10 servings.
Cote’s in Lowell,MA. still makes Lowell’s Famous Rochett’s Baked Beans. No one can make them taste like the Hi Hat but them!
I see you are on Facebook I don’t have an account but my husband does his name is Marshall Yamano.I’ll use his account to correspond with you I am new to Facebook. Thanks for the offer to share your family recipe l would love to have them
So surprised to see this! My Mom’s maiden name is Rousseau. Her family lived in Fall River, MA. Her sister, my Aunt Yvonne, made these all the time for us! Brings me back to my childhood!
DeMoulas Market Basket carries them…single serve and regular size pies. Not always in stock, so it’s hit or miss.
My dad Herman Rousseau, from Fitchburg,Mass. made totiere, met pie. Sorry to say none of my family makes it now. I wonder if it can be bought somewhere in Mass. or NH. We sure don’t have it in Texas.
I first learned the “tookay” recipe from my French Canadian in-laws whom were originally from Brunswick,Maine and Fitchburg, Mass. I hope my children carry on the tradition of serving this great piece of deliciousness in future years, I’m celebrating my 83rd year in a few months and awoke in the middle of the night last evening with visions of making the pies for the Christmas holidays. Retired in southern Maryland.
Hi Pete , you can buy pork pies [ we say tourkay] in your home town of Fitchburg from the Poutin Ladies [ you can find them under that name on Facebook ] also their phone Annette 978 602 2402 or Cheryl 978 855 1712 , or email poutinladies @yahoo.com . You could also get them in our town of Greenville NH [ located just 15 miles north of Fitchburg – we had lots of relatives in Fitchburg] which at one point I heard was the most Francophone town in NH as a percentage of population . The contact would be the Catholic Church which could put you in touch with bakers 603 878 1121 . Recently 70 were sold at a Franco American dinner nite , apart from what was served to dinner guests
Would love to share recipes.
I grew up having meat pie for Christmas breakfast, I still make it to carry on for my mom. I use her recipe that she made for more then 50+ years. She cut it with pork and hamburger, onions and diced potatoes and 1/2 c. Water, let it simmer for hours the salt, pepper, and Bells poultry seasoning.. nothing else but an egg, beat or mash. I now make it for my boss and daughter, they ask every year.
I make it the same way as you do!! My grandmother and mom made it this way!! Yum!
Brenda could you please give me your recipe for the french meat pie. My mom use to make this the way you discribe and we had it as a stuffing with turkey. What are the measurements of the ingredients?
My Memere always said to just peal a large onion and not to cut it put put it in one piece in the meat as you cook it and not to add any spices till after the meat is cooked. Once the meat is cooked, remove the onion and add “All Spice” to taste (hate that “to taste” WHOSE TASTE? LOL ).
She used all pork but then the pork had more fat in it and when you cooled the meat it would give you a little bit of the white pork fat that would make the Tourteire better… and we would also use the the cold meat to spread on toast or crackers – I know this is not going to be spelled right but that was called “gratons”. If you pick up a little LARD or ask the meat department if you could get some of the pork fat add it to you meat. And you will get that same flavor as you remembered your memere’s receipt has that your just can’t get it.
Joyeux Noël et bon appitite
I’m familiar with the spread you mentioned and still make it a couple times a year. It’s spelled creton with a rolled “r”. If you Google it you’ll see many recipes. I just love it!
My mom used to make this, and she spelled it “greton”; I make it, too, and often bring to parties with a festive covering of finely chopped parsley. It has always been a big hit!
My father’s aunt was a Descoteaux she owned a supermarket in Waterbury ct.. You mentioned poutsins my memere used to make them but no one has the recipe. Just yesterday my siblings an I tried a Russian recipe for dumplings just not the same . would you be willing to share yours with us? Hope you receive this email
Maurice, here is the recipe my mom gave me for the green tomato relish, which we also have with our Meat Pie each year, and if we are lucky Picked or Sweet Beets.
• 25 medium green tomatoes, chopped
• 6 medium onions, chopped
• 8 Medium Green Peppers
• 3 Stocks of Celery
• kosher salt
• 2 1/2 cups white vinegar
• 2 1/8 cups granulated sugar
• 5 tablespoons mixed pickling spices, tied in cheesecloth
Directions:
1. In a large bowl, alternate layers of tomatoes, peppers and onions, sprinkling each layer with salt.
2. Let stand for at least 8 hours, better overnight.
3. Rinse with water; drain well.
4. In a large saucepan or stock pot, Combine vegetables with vinegar, sugar and spice bag.
5. Bring mixture to a boil, then simmer, uncovered, for about 30 to 45 minutes.
6. Stir frequently until slightly thickened.
7. Pour into hot, sterilized jars and seal.
My Memere Rousselle’s recipe is a little different. No potatoes and no precooking. We just mix the pork, onions, water and spices and put it into the pie crust to bake @ 350 for one hour.
I’ve been doing this for 65 years. These days, I have to bake up to 25. All my families, and friends, and neighbors expect one at Christmas
We must have that for after Midnight Mass and Christmas breakfast. (And any old time someone needs a bite to eat.)
I’ve read that there are as many recipes for Tourtiere as there are cooks in Quebec baking them.
Loved reading all these post. I live in South GA. But was born in Maine my Meme and Pepe every Christmas Eve served several different meat pies. Brings back lovely memories. I remember the table being covered with pies and goodies. And little bowls of nuts an ribbon candy set around. I so want to one more time have a traditional New England Christmas Eve.
Help! Making this for the first time ever, have been told to use Bell’s Seasoning to make it “right” but HOW MUCH? One or Two teaspoons? No cinnamon either. Am making it for my 97 year old friend whose memere used to make it and she yearns for it! thanks
Use less water! Doesn’t need to boil for 4 hours. Maybe just cover meat by about 1/4 inch and cook slowly for total of 1.5 hours. I’ve seen recipes that only call for 1/2 cup of water.
I took my wife out to Chez Vachon in Manchester, NH for their tortiere today. Reminded me of my mother’s
Pork pie. Good Canadian cooking. Her recipe was half pork and half veal with Allspice.
This is the way you can get a taste of 1950’s Christmas in New England,only thing missing is some of Mr Rochette’s beans my family is also from Nashua/Lowell by way of France and Canada (Cup de Medliene)Memere Boisvert would’ve loved this recipe. Anyone know how to make Mr Rochette’s High Hat beans?
I also use Allspice, Clove and potatoes (No cinnamon) The one time I used cinnamon years ago my family was not happy. Every year now when I start making my Pork Pies they remind me NO CINNAMON. The recipe I use is also my Memere’s.
Ours are made with Hamburg and ground pork. Onions mashed potatoes but the spices are allspice made nutmeg and ground clove. We are Paris and Canadian french.
I am so very confused after reading all these variations. My mother gave me my Memere’s recipe but has since passed away. It calls for beef, pork, cinnamon, Bell’s, potatoes. I called my cousin and she said our Memere only used allspice. My mother never made them & I did once 20 years ago! I think I used my mom’s & it was delicious. I’m trying to rekindle my Memere’s New Year’s Day menu of tortiere, meatball sandwiches, sheet pound cake with warm sucre creme. Can’t decide now! Anyone have a sheet pound cake recipe?
This Irish girl married into a French-Canadian family — but one that doesn’t make tourtiere! I was quite disappointed so I have finally taken matters into my own hands. I made this over the weekend and it was delicious. I’m curious about those who use Bell’s Seasoning, I might try that next time and compare.
My pie was exceptionally thick. I packed the mashed potatoes pretty tightly. Initially I thought I had enough mixture for two pies, but in hindsight I do like a nice, thick piece.
I love reading all the comments with the history and tradition.
Pam, would you be willing to share the gravy recipe? ????
Lisa,
Would you mind sharing your recipe as my Mother also grew up in Waterville and she states that they never used cinnamon so I have not found the exact recipe? Yours may be closer to what she had growing up. Her mother passed away and I never asked for the recipe. She was a Mathieu.
wow! you are the first person I have seen say you used Bell Seasoning, that is what my family uses. I was take back by all the recipes i found using all the other spices. We eat our meat pie with home made cranberry sauce.
My Aunt,s maiden name was Rousseau, She had this recipe and our family, ate for New Years for years. After she passed on I have tried to get this recipe, to no avail. My mom made it too, but when I asked her to try to remember it, she could only remember the meat ingredient, and some spices… Now by sheer accident, I have found it. They have all passed on, but I intend to make Memere”s original recipe. Thank You, & Blessings to all for the New Year & the years to come.
I HAVE to ask, Penny was your Raymond a brother to F Gilbert Despres also of Nashua??? I am his Grandaughter!!
Hi Donna. While it’s customary to begin most recipes with pre-heating the oven, you’re right that in this case (with 4 hours of simmering before the baking), it makes sense to wait before turning it on! We’ll update the recipe to be more clear. Thanks and happy holidays!
Confused….but then again that is how I woke up this morning. LOL.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees, but cook ingredients in a saucepan on medium-low for 4 hours?
I would assume that you mean cook the ingredients first, for about 4 hours, put into pie shell, and bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes? Just written out of order?
My Mama always made and served Tourtière after midnight Mass on Christmas Eve.
I tried this receipe and it is just Wonderful. I used a bit more cloves as I enjoy that taste.
I served it as a pate, with whole cranberry sauce and sweet pickles and, of course,
a French Baguette. Thank You Memere Rousseau. C’est Bon. Jeanne
I’ve made this recipe several times always with good results. I don’t preheat my oven during the entire four hour simmer though.
Doubles easily. I use just a pinch of cloves if at all.
Jo-Ann i do mine exactly the way you do. I was 15 when i learned from my memere, 48 yrs of making them and have not changed a thing.
Also, growing up in a french canadian family in Waterville Maine, we had tourtière pie Christmas Eve as well as Christmas morning. This recipe is very close to my family’s recipe. Had to learn to make tourtière pie once we moved in NC 17 yrs ago. Over the years we have introduced this pie to native North Carolinians. Now they request them around the holidays.
Making my tourtiere as I type this. Such wonderful memories of my childhood Christmases spent in Stornoway and Nantes QC. Joyeux Noel!
Well it’s December 20th getting ready to make our meat pies and poutsins for Christmas Eve. Memere is now 94 years old and no longer able to prepare these traditional foods from Grandmere Québec Canada.
As hard as we try we cannot cook as good as Memere.
My Great Aunt made this meat pie for us every Christmas Eve and served it the best gravy I have ever tasted. Don’t know how or what she used to make the gravy. My mom asked her for the recipe but she said it was a secret. She passed away never giving the recipe to anyone. My mom experimented and figured it out by trial and error. I now have the recipe and make it for my own family. We all love it!
As part of a Scottish family in a French-Canadian, New England town. Tourtier was primarily a treat while visiting friends. As with many comfort foods the smell is the strongest part of the memory. I find that the recipes with celery/ celery tops bring the memory out the strongest. The meat was pork/venison if the hunt had been successful that year and pork/hamburg if it had not. The long simmering reduction is essential to bring out the flavor. And I vote with potato free and the crumbly texture, to me this is Tourtiere, otherwise is just another meat pie.
I have enjoyed reading through all the different variations of Tourtiere recipes. I am French Canadien. Parents and 2 sets of grandparents all from Canada. .Our family recipe is much like many I saw. Ground pork and hamburg 2/1 depending on number of pies. Diced onion, salt, pepper, cinnamon and clove to individual taste
.a little water and cook down until liquid is absorbed. We do not use potato as we prefer a crumbly texture. I am now the eldest of our generation and continue to make this recipe each year at Christmas. Have passed it down to siblings, children and now grandchildren. I am the memere of the group. Tradition is important to us so we continue to share special recipes with family. Keeps us close
thank you
Memere is what I called my grandmother.. My Mom was a Memere now I carry on that wonderful name with my grandchildren. i carry on the meat pie tradition in my family for my children and siblings. We never put cloves or other spices other than Bells Seasoning and summer savory along with salt and pepper to taste. Ground pork with mashed potatoes to bind it is our family recipe served with dill pickles. It’s not Christmas morning without a piece of meat pie!
I make my mother in law recipe. She was Irish but married French Canadian She used hamburger and pork and mash potatoes cloves,allspice. She was a wonderful cook. Crusty was yummy. I make it every Christmas eve. My kids all grown now still love it. I make for all of them and grand kids too.
I learned from my husbands Memere, Aurore Proulx, from 3 Rivers Canada, I still make them for the holidays, I know they used to have them at New Years eve. But I make a whole bunch at once , freeze them and they are great to pull out and heat up during the busy holiday season. Not to mention that my two adult children come begging for them this time of year. And yes I always make sure we have at least one for the new year.
Proulx is a name in our family. I think the Masse family came from Three Rivers. They were farmers, but the younger sons came to Fall River, and then to Pawtucket, RI.
Celeste Marie would love to have your Picalli recipe, My mother use to make one many years ago whichI haven’t been able to duplicate, her was made with green tomatoes, onions and spices. If you don’t mind sharing that would be great. Thanks
Love this recipe. It is almost exactly the way my mom made her pies. She used just ground pork and saltines to bind it together…onions-celery-salt & pepper-herbes de province. I am 80 yrs. young and even though I am alone I make them every Thanksgiving and Christmas for my siblings and nieces. I hope some of them will carry on this tradition. Ma Mere made the best…
We grew up with mother making the Tourtiere pies but with dad, the Frenchman, overseeing and tasting. You see mother was Irish-German, but her family too came from Canada.
Our pies, which my sister and I make every year for Christmas Eve, are all finely ground pork, onion, cinnamon, cloves and maybe some allspice, salt and pepper. Enough water to cover meat and simmer till enough water has evaporated then we add fresh bread crumbs to bind all together. Our families love this recipe and I (we) have never tried anything different. Happy holidays and happy baking to you all.
My family has been making this ever since i’ve been born over 28 years ago and I figured I would see how other families make it. Our is very similiar with a couple differences. My father and I make them as below:
2lb’s ground beef
1lb ground pork
1 onion chopped
Onion goes in first, shortly after is all the meat which is then browned and water is used to help loosen up the mixture. The spices are clove, allspice, cinnamon and sage. Of course salt and pepper, all done to taste. Depending on the year, we’ll use mashed potatoes or instant to make it thicken up. This year we used mashed and I think it’s my favorite so far. What a tradition!
Stumbled upon this recipe while looking for measurement ratios for pork/potato. This is very similar to how I learned to make pie from my mother who my memere passed it down to. We use allspice instead of cinnamon and clove.
I don’t use mashed potatoes.i use cubed potatoes small cubes in the meat simmering..for last 15 mins…love it that way…
My memere and mere made these when I grew up in Lewiston Maine. I am now 73 and I make them and give them for gifts at Christmas..very authentic recipe
Thank you, Amy. I am definitely going to try this recipe this coming holiday season!
I was thrilled to see this receipe. My mother-in-law was French from the Maine area, Sanford, Maine. She always made Meat Pie for Christmas Eve and after the midnight Mass we would all go to her house (now this would be about 1:00am) to have the traditional meat pie dish. This had made a tradition in her family and when I began dating my husband I joined in (as the lonely Irish person). This was a very special evening of the year. The whole family gathered together until we all began to have our children, then it got a little harder. But she still made the pies and we had the on Christmas afternoon when we visited her home.
I fear that this tradition is dying out, but I still pray that it doesn’t. It was a special time of year for many reasons!
Hi Cheryl. The long simmering time is what makes the meat exceptionally tender. It takes awhile, but we think it’s worth it!
Just curious, what is the purpose of simmering the ground pork in water for 4 hours? Does this improve the taste/texture?? Thanks
The long cooking time was to prevent trichinosis. Most of these are old Canadian recipes that called for long cooking times to kill a worm larvae that could make you very sick. The pork industry is much different today in that trichinosis is nonexistent.
I am so delighted to see someone use the name “memere”. That’s what we called my grandmother but I didn’t know anyone else did.
I have been looking for this recipe for years. Can’t wait to try it.
Liz
Hi Pauline,
It does take about four hours for the liquid to evaporate. When you find your mother’s recipes, we’d love to hear how it differs from this one.
Hi, we used to have it on New Years as we are French Canadian.I can’t find my Mother”s recipe right now. Do you really simmer the pork 4 hrs? As an aside we called our Grandparents Meme and Pepe With fond memories…..
THE ONLY DIFFERENCE WITH MINE IS I USE A COUPLE OF SLICES OF CRISPY BACON
Bacon would be amazing! I was thinking of using some bacon fat in the crust as well
I have tried all kinds of French meat pie recipes over the years, but this is the best! Very light with the potatoes mixed in. I love the taste of cloves better than the Bell’s seasoning. And the crust is so flaky and tender. Have made it each year since Yankee ran it. Always comes out great.
I make mine using my husbands aunts recipe which calls for Bell’s Seasoning, Mashed Rutabaga, and walnuts as well as the mashed potatoes, onions and a blend of beef, pork and veal. He likes to eat it with dill pickles and I like it with cranberry sauce. I also carry on my families tradition by making black-eyed peas and greens to complete the meal.
My Memere & mom made Tourtiere a traditional pie but varied from this recipe. Mom used hamburg, Memere used a combination of hamburg & pork but I think more times with ground deer meat. Also used nutmeg. No water, sauted the meat & onions & spices adding to the mashed potatoes. Always loved it & served with cole slaw.
My grandmother,mother and now I am the maker of our Christmas tourtiere for my children and grandchildren. We are from Quebec and our recipe is made with lean pork and veal, no cinnamon only cloves, onions,celery tops, salt, bay leaf, herb de provence, rosemary,pepper, mushrooms and mushroom soup. I glaze the crust with whipped egg. It is to die for and a much anticipated tradition. Yum.
My memere and my mom, made these without potatoes and only pork. I have continued the tradition but not all years. I even made them when we lived in Australia; in high summer heat! They are part of what makes Christmas. As I am now the memere of the family (no one else has grandkids yet) it is up to me to preserve the family history. Choice of sides are sweet gherkin mini pickles, mustard, cranberry sauce and piccalli( a homemade green tomatoes relish that I make). Bon appetit! and Joyuex Noel!
This is pretty spot on the way I learned the recipe from my mom and she learned it from her mom. We always have this for breakfast Thanksgiving morning and Christmas morning. Hope my kids make it some day as well!
My sisters and I and all of my cousins have been using my memere’s recipe, which uses ground beef and pork, but we use Allspice, not cinnamon and we also put mashed potatoes in ours.
I carry on the tradition of cooking, every year i have to make them to serve on Christmas Eve., as did my mother and her mother (Grandma), she was French-Candian. Our recipe varied a little, as we did not use potatoes in our recipe, and we used more cinnamin, i did not add cloves, but am thinking i will try this next year. It is so yummy, and is such a nice gift to give to anyone! i let them cool with foil on top, then freeze over night, put into gallon zip lock bag, and put a gift sticker on it, listing the date and my name with love! :} I personally make up 11-12 pies each year, and give as a gift!