Classic Tourtiere

Tourtiere is such a Family tradition that every French Family will have a secret recipe or ingredient that they will swear by.  The best thing about this dish is you can personalize it and make it your own just by adding wild game.  Make a full pie, mini pasties for fast and hand held meals or even downsize it into an app.  Nail the basics and this is a dish you can call your own.

1 large potato (peeled and cubed)

4 slices thick-cut bacon (chopped)

1 onion (chopped)

2 celery stalks (diced)

2 cloves garlic (minced)

2 C mushrooms (sliced)

¼  C dry white wine

1 lb ground pork

1 lb ground veal/moose/deer…whatever you want to use for this…even more pork

½  tsp salt

¼  tsp pepper

¼  tsp cinnamon

1 pinch ground cloves

1 egg yolk

 

Pie Dough (yes, you can use store bought to save time, but it is relatively simple to make from scratch)

If you choose to make it from scratch, keep in mind the best pie dough it made by feel and not just following a recipe.  You will know if you have it right after a few attempts.  Feel free to use this recipe as a guide…add or subtract as you see fit to suit your specific wants and tastes.

2 ½ C all-purpose flour

3/4 tsp salt

2/3 C cold unsalted butter (cubed)

1 8-ounce container sour cream

2 Tbsp cold milk

Mix everything together until blended (it will feel “right”).  Let the dough sit and rest for at least 30 minutes in a cloth covered bowl before you attempt to roll it out.

 

In a pot of boiling salted water, cook potato until tender. Drain and return to pot to mash and set aside.

Meanwhile, in large saucepan, fry bacon over medium-high heat until softened. Add onion and garlic; cook until softened, about 3 minutes.

Add mushrooms and cook until almost no liquid remains.

Add wine and cook until almost no liquid remains.

Add cinnamon and cloves, and then incorporate your mashed potato.

Meanwhile cook ground meat, breaking it up in the pan, until browned.  Season liberally with salt and pepper to taste then drain ALL fat before adding in veggie mix.

Fill pie crust with meat mixture. Trim dough even with rim making sure to brush rim with water to ensure a good seal.

Fit top dough layer over filling, pressing edge to seal. Trim to leave ½ inch overhang and tuck under bottom pastry and flute crust (basically pinch it to look pretty). Cut steam vent in top and if you are ambitious use excess dough to create a design for the top of the pie and press into the crust.

Whisk egg yolk with 1 tbsp water to brush over pastry (this helps it brown).

Bake the tourtiere in bottom third of 220C oven for 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 200C and continue to bake until steaming and pastry is golden (about 30 minutes.)

Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting and serving.