Main Dishes
French Canadian Meat Pie | Best Cook Penny Despres
This recipe for French Canadian meat pie — also known as Tourtiere — not only melts in your mouth, it keeps a family tradition alive.
By Edie Clark|Dec 22 2009|
Coffee By Design | Portland, Maine
Photo Credit : Katherine KeenanYield:
Ingredients
Instructions
This Recipe’ brings back so many Wonderful Memories… Thanks…
I felt so warm & cozy after reading the artcle about Moose & Penny in their kitchen. I have never seen or had a Tourtiere. I am now in a wheelchair so I don’t cook much anymore but can you buy them in the Boston Ma area? Also good salt pork is hard to find nowadays.
Ooh-la-la, meat pie! My late grandmother Peppay (yes, you read that correct-my grandfather was Pompee) made the pies for our family’s Christmas Eve celebration. As a teenager, I often found myself daydreaming during midnight mass about eating a nice big slice when I got home from church and yes, with mustard just like my father would. So many wonderful memories of my Peppay’s delicious tourtiere! She always guarded her receipe-would only wink at me when I asked her to tell me how she made the crust so flaky and the filling with just the right amount of spice to it. I’ve searched and searched and eaten and eaten all kinds of meat pies but not a one like hers! Thank you, Peppay
My husband has told me over & over about the “chicken pie” they would eat after midnight mass, have not been able to find a recipe, anybody familiar with this meat pie and by any chance have a recipe?
cmcdonald11@me.com
Wow, special. Born in South Africa, but totally at home in Quebec, Canada for more than 40 years now, I have always loved the tourtieres made here. I have made them, but better still a wonderful patisserie, St. Louis-de-France, on Berri-de-Montigny, in Montreal, makes them specially for the Holiday Season. I buy them there, and frequently their frozen stock lasts a good while, so they are available for a long time. However, now happily retired, I am going to try this lady’s recipe to compare with the winner I have been buying. I am sure this new recipe will have me baking more often. I want to learn that secret vinegar addition for a silky pastry. Thank you.
Fantastic recipe! My mother-in-law and I made the tourtiere last week. She, being 91 we often collaborate on cooking meals. I did the meat portion, she did the crust. The flavor was heavenly and the crust, wonderfully silky and flaky. What a great meal. Thanks for sharing!
My Mom was born in Quebec. I can still remember her making those wonderful meat pies when I was growing up. We all lived in Charlestown, N.H. I live in Texas now, but have the recipe and make the meat pie every so often. Tastes so great and brings back many memories.
My Mom was born in Sherbrooke near Montreal and every Christmas she would make these wonderful pork pies. We lived in Maine and there were 15 of us kids and there would be dozens of pies and cookies made for the holidays but that piece of pork pie after midnight mass is one of my most cherished memories. I will try this recipe as it looks like it will be delicious but in my heart my Mom’s will always be the best.
Yes…the meat pie after midnight Mass on Christmas Eve; what a wonderful memory! We always had pickles on the side…not sure where that tradition came from but the tart with the luxury of the pie is wonderful. My family recipe calls for 2/3 ground pork, 1/3 ground beef. Delightful! My maternal grandmother from Quebec made the best pies; my paternal grandmother (Canadian but married into Gaelic stock)…not so much (dry and uninspired). She made great doughnuts, though…
Of all the pork pie recipes this is just like my Grandmother Rousseau’s. My mother made one with part beef last year but it didn’t cut it. This year we used this one and it was perfect. I never had the recipe for the crust (which she also used with Salmon Pie) and this recipe was it!! It doesn’t taste the same with regular pie crust. Wonderful Recipe!!
love it!
I made this meat pie for Christmas this year. 2014.
This receipe makes a lot, so I shared it and many
enjoyed it. Thank you Mere Rousseau. Luv, Jeanne
Your story sounds like I wrote it. I too grew up in Nashua and my grandparents & great grandparents were all French Canadian. I love meat pies and I love meat stuffing. I didn’t realize there was bread stuffing until I was 19 years old.
I wouldn’t be surprised if Im related to some of the ladies above as my family comes from the Tres Riveries area of Quebec as well and then moved to Massachusetts. Ive only recently discovered this while doing my genealogy. My husband who is a Canadian has talked about Tourtiers for years but I never new how to make them. I love to incorporate old traditions into our modern lives so Im going to make these from now on for Christmas eve just like Grampa Dubord likely had them. Thanks for the nice story and recipe.
I was interested in finding out who Elaine is. My family also came from three rivers, quebec. and my grandmother was a Dubord. just wondering.
My name I William Raymond I have tracked my family back to Quebec early 1600 . A lot of my family moved to Montana during the early days of the fur trade. I’m sure we are related some how my grandma made this pie a lot I absolutely love it.
My grandmother used lard, not shortening in the crust.