The Villages Gourmet Club Recipe

Tourtière
by allrecipies

Serves: 6-8. Preparation time: 2½ hours. Tourtiere

For the Crust:

3 C. All Purpose Flour

2 Sticks Unsalted Butter, Sliced & Frozen

1 t. Kosher Salt

7 T. Ice Cold Water

2 t. Distilled White Vinegar

1 Large Egg
For the Spice Blend:

2 t. Kosher Salt

1 t. Fresh Ground Pepper

1 t. Dried Thyme

½ t. Dried Sage

½ t. Ground Cinnamon

½ t. Ground Ginger

¼ t. Fresh Grated Nutmeg

¼ t. Fresh Ground Allspice

¼ t. Ground Mustard

⅛ t. Ground Cloves

1 Pinch Cayenne Pepper (optional)

For the Filling:

1 lb. Ground Pork

1 lb. Ground Beef

1 Large Russet Potato, Peeled, Quartered

1 t. Kosher Salt

½ C. Celery, Finely Diced

1 T. Unsalted Butter

1 Large Onion, Finely Chopped

4 Garlic Cloves, Crushed

1 C. Potato Cooked Water

• For the Crust: Place the Flour, Frozen Butter and Salt into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse for 30 seconds until the Butter breaks down into pea-sized pieces. Now drizzle and stir together the Cold Water and Vinegar. Pulse the processor for about 10 seconds more until the mixture is crumbly but sticks together when pressed. Drizzle more Cold Water if too dry. Transfer the mixture onto a work surface, Press the mixture to form a ball. Flatten the Dough into a thick disk, wrap it in plastic wrap (or zip-lock bag) and refrigerate for 1 hour.
• For the Spice Blend: Mix all those ingredients in a small bowl and set aside. This can be done while the Potatoes are boiling (below).
• For the Filling: Place the Quartered Potatoes in a saucepan, cover with (Unsalted) Cold Water and bring to a boil on the stovetop. Once boiling, reduce the heat and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes until tender. Spoon out the Potatoes and place the Potato Water to the side for later use. Mash the Potatoes until smooth; set aside. Melt the Butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add Chopped Onion and a Pinch of Kosher Salt. Cook about 10-15 minutes and stir until the Onions are golden. Now stir in Celery, Garlic, and the above Spice Blend for 30 seconds or more. Add the Ground Pork, Ground Beef, and about ¾ cup of Potato Water into the skillet. Cook for about 45 minutes and stir often until the meat is brown and tender. Most of the liquid will evaporate. Stir in the Mashed Potatoes, turn off the heat and let cool to room temperature.
• For the Pie: Preheat the oven to 375° F. Divide the chilled Dough into 2 pieces, one just slightly larger than the other. Roll out the larger piece on a lightly floured work surface and roll out to a 12-inch circle. Place that into a 9-inch deep-dish glass pie plate. Roll out the smaller dough to an 11-inch circle and set aside. Fill the bottom Crust with the Meat and Potato mixture and smooth out the surface. Scramble the Egg with 1 T. of Water to make a Wash. Brush the Wash over the exposed edges of the bottom Crust. Now center the 11-inch top Crust on top and pinch the edges to the bottom Crust. Seal the top and bottom Crusts together. Trim the excess dough if necessary. Cut small slots in the top Crust to allow steam to escape. Brush the entire surface of the top Crust with the Wash. Bake for about 1 hour at 375° until the Crust is well browned. Let cool to about 150° before serving.
• Serve: With a sharp knife and pie server, slice the Pie into 6 or 8 equal portions and serve.

"Tourtiè're" - It's pronounced - TOOT- tyair. It literally means "Pie" in French but the Canadians know it more as a French Meat Pie, rather than a "Tarte" or Fruit Pie. It is said to original in the province of Quebec, primarily with Pork or Wild Game filling. You can find it in Country French restaurants during the holidays, especially on New Years Eve in Eastern Canada.