Tourtière de Québec (French Canadian Meat Pie)

Day 51

The idea of dinner pies has always been comforting—Shepherd’s Pie, quiche, Ricotta Pie, and now a Canadian Tourtière. This recipe is packed with flavor, and will most likely become a hearty favorite on your winter dinner rotations. 

Although not pictured, I sometimes make the dish more company-ready or “presentation pretty” by making a Parmesan sauce to drizzle on each slice. To make this, simply heat 1 cup of heavy cream, 1 clove minced garlic,

Copyright, Doug Kapustin  Photography, 2013

and ½ stick of butter on medium low until hot. Then, add a block of cream cheese, cubed. Stir constantly until cream cheese is melted. Add ½ cup of grated Parmesan cheese, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir until fully incorporated. Serve immediately. 

Tourtière de Québec (French Canadian Meat Pie)

Ingredients: 
1 lb. ground beef
1 lb. ground pork
¾ cup chopped onion
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 carrot, sliced finely
4 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup beef broth
½ cup chopped Italian parsley
½ tsp. dried, crushed rosemary
½ tsp. sage
½ tsp. dried thyme
5 cups cooked, diced potatoes or shredded hashbrowns, browned in olive oil 
16 oz. Muenster cheese, grated
Salt and pepper to taste
Garlic pepper seasoning
4 pie crusts for 2 pies

Directions: 
Brown ground beef and ground pork in a large pot or stove-top Dutch oven.  Remove from pan and drain in colander or on paper towels. In same pot, sauté onion, celery, and carrots until tender. Add garlic, beef broth, pork and beef, cooked potatoes, parsley, rosemary, sage, and thyme. 

Combine and heat together for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and stir in cheese. 

Place bottom pie crusts in two 9-inch pie pans and fill each with half of the meat mixture. Cover with top crust. Cut slits in tops of both pies and seal edges by pinching or by using a fork to press the two crusts together. Brush with one beaten egg OR butter. Sprinkle top of crusts with garlic pepper seasoning.

Bake in preheated oven at 375 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown.