Tourtieres a Noel

This savory meat pie is easy to make and wondrous at midnight at a party on a cold winter's night.  It is even better warmed up the next day.  Babak, you can make this with any kind of meat.  pl

http://www.theworldwidegourmet.com/recipes/tourtiere-quebec-meat-pie/

Comments

[The beaver]

It's good also with duck (minced) together with Ketchup Au Fruits (Fruit Ketchup)-Quebec Style

[D]

I have heard another reason for the name: tourtre, dove, referring to the traveler pigeon that was so abundant earlier on. Wiki says "In the 18th century, the Passenger Pigeon in Europe was known to the French as tourtre; but, in New France, the North American bird was called tourte. Tourtière, a traditional meat-pie originating from Quebec and associated with French-Canadian culture, was so-named because tourte was historically a key ingredient."
The quebecois also enjoy poutine, tarte au sucre and tarte aux erable, neither of which I can really recommend. The latter two are abhorrently sweet.

[turcopolier]

D

I suppose that you don't like Pecan pie or Molassas pie either. Both are traditions in Virginia. pl

[Jose L Campos]

A delightful restful aside. I may cook some form of tourtiere.

[turcopolier]

Campos

I recommend the original form made with ground beef, veal and pork, diced potatoes and onions and the lovely spices usually recommended. My French Canadian mother used to stuff fowl with this same delightful filling. pl

[GregB]

As a genuine Franco-American from NH I can give three cheers to this thread.

This dish was most often a staple around the holidays and was usually the main course for New Years day dinner. My trick was to lift the top layer of crust off of the pie, slather with ketchup and then return the crust back on top.

The bastardized pronunciation was: Toot-kay.

Another holiday staple was a spiced, ground pork meat spread called gorton, pronounced: Guh-tuh. We would usually have that with toast on Christmas morning.

French-Canadian food is a banquet for the palate but a little rough on the waist-band.

Bon jour.

[Maureen Lang]

Pat,

I've often used Mom's meat stuffing in the larger "company" birds I cook for the holidays. Remember how she used to grind her own cuts of meat in that ancient hand grinder attached to the bread board until the mixture was just the right consistency? Sometimes she added the turkey gizzards for extra flavor. A slice of wheat bread went in last to clean out the grinder.

Got to admit I use a Cuisinart, though I've got her hand grinder in the pantry closet...

FYI: Will be making a sweet potato/pecan pie & green apple crumble for this year's Thanksgiving desserts.

[The Twisted Genius]

It's amazing what memories food can conjure up. That Quebecois meat pie reminded me of the potato sausage that my father often made. Coarsely ground potatoes, just the right combination of bacon and diced ham, and heavenly spices all perfectly baked in a sausage casing. I remember eating it with my father, brothers and other relatives in a small shack, heated by a wood stove, on the shore of Bantam Lake.

My wife and I recall the best pecan pie we ever tasted at a small restaurant near Stone Mountain, Georgia. We were only married a few weeks and were enjoying a respite from my stay at the "Benning School for Boys."

To this day I still savor the taste of an occasional Quarter Pounder with Cheese. That was a mystical treat that a wife of one of my Ranger classmates snuck into us one night during training... a well executed nighttime link-up operation.

[securecare]

Yum, more food porn.

[turcopolier]

GregB

We may be related. Another great memory is of early morning breakfasts with my maternal grand pere, Joseph Wilfred Boisvert. This would be before "gunning" for some poor creature or ice fishing. With my Krag leaned against the wall in a corner of the kitchen, he would cook crepes, salt pork (fried of course) and scrambled eggs in well seasoned black iron skillets. Warm maple syrup of course. Washed down with black coffee it was swell. That man would have liked red eye gravy if he had ever heard of it. This is beginning to sound too much like Nick Adams. pl

[The beaver]

GregB

Do you mean creton?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-j2X7FaYCwI

[Medicine Man]

Don't think I've ever had Molassas pie myself, but I do like a nice Pecan pie. I think pumpkin and apple pie are still my favorites though.

[Jose]

If you are daring, try it cooking the pies Cuban style:

http://icuban.com/food/pastelitos.html

http://www.tasteofcuba.com/picadillo.html

I will try one of the recipes in the post for Thanksgiving, will let you know how it goes...lol

[steve]

Looks like a great recipe. I might give it a try.

One of my favorites is Natchitoches meat pies. In New Orleans, I'd always be on the lookout for them, but not easy to find outside central Louisiana.

[PeterHug]

All I can say is, it's amazing what I find reading interesting sites (like this one). If you have a recipe for that potato sausage I would love to have it...

A bit of a variation on the tourtiere (OK, a big one) is the Bastilla from Northern Africa and/or Spain. I've tried that a few times (using chicken instead of pigeon) and it's really very good.

[Charles I]

I have my mom's grinder as a cheap luddite I do indeed attach it to the cutting board as the clamp is too short to fit the counter but I'm an idler with time on my hands and a fixed taste for handmade meatballs

[Charles I]

Don't put in too many potatoes, or it won't be the right consistency or spicy and tortirrey enough

[The Twisted Genius]

The potato sausage is called vederai. Here's one recipe.

http://easteuropeanfood.about.com/od/sausages/r/Lithuanian-Potato-Sausage-Recipe-Vedarai.htm

My father shredded the potatoes, same as he does for kugelis and potato pancakes. Definitely use the bacon and bacon grease. Dice up a little leftover ham as well. For spices try allspice and ground black pepper. Careful with the salt. the bacon and ham contain plenty. We always baked ours. My father never worries about potatoes darkening during preparation so our sausages are always darker than the pictures in the link.