Holiday Tourtière
A pie of spiced minced meat, enclosed between two golden crusts. It is prepared for special occasions and shared warm, in the deep winter night.
A pie of spiced minced meat, enclosed between two golden crusts. It is prepared for special occasions and shared warm, in the deep winter night.
December, at our house, means frosted windows and the smell of tourtière rising through the whole house. We prepare it ahead, the meat simmered with a pinch of cinnamon and clove, then sealed between two crusts that we patiently brown. At the réveillon, we take it from the oven and share it still steaming, late into the night. There is, in this dish, all the warmth of belonging—the kind you don't choose but that holds you.
- •Ground pork (sometimes mixed with veal or game) — a good amount (filling)
- •Onion — one or two (aromatic)
- •Potato — a few (binder and body)
- •Cinnamon, clove, nutmeg — pinches (signature spices)
- •Shortcrust pastry — two disks (envelope)
- •Salt, pepper — to taste (seasoning)
Holiday Tourtière
A pie of spiced minced meat, enclosed between two golden crusts. It is prepared for special occasions and shared warm, in the deep winter night.
Why this dish? Tourtière is the heart of the Québécois réveillon, the dish that brings families together in the December night. For a literary figure attached to belonging and memory, this shared dish speaks of ties to the land and to loved ones.
December, at our house, means frosted windows and the smell of tourtière rising through the whole house. We prepare it ahead, the meat simmered with a pinch of cinnamon and clove, then sealed between two crusts that we patiently brown. At the réveillon, we take it from the oven and share it still steaming, late into the night. There is, in this dish, all the warmth of belonging—the kind you don't choose but that holds you.
Ingredients (period version)
- Ground pork (sometimes mixed with veal or game) — a good amount (filling)
- Onion — one or two (aromatic)
- Potato — a few (binder and body)
- Cinnamon, clove, nutmeg — pinches (signature spices)
- Shortcrust pastry — two disks (envelope)
- Salt, pepper — to taste (seasoning)
Ingredients
- Ground pork (or half pork, half beef) — 600 g (filling)
- Onion — 2, chopped (aromatic)
- Potato — 2 medium, small dice (binder)
- Broth — 250 ml (cooking liquid)
- Cinnamon — 1/2 tsp (spice)
- Ground clove — 1/4 tsp (spice)
- Nutmeg — 1 pinch (spice)
- Shortcrust pastry — 2 disks (envelope)
- 1 egg yolk — 1 (egg wash)
Method
- Sauté the onion, add the meat, broth, and spices. Simmer for 30 min.
- Add the diced potatoes and continue cooking until tender and the mixture is bound. Let cool slightly.
- Line a pie dish with one pastry disk, fill with the meat mixture, cover with the second disk. Seal and score the top.
- Brush with egg yolk. Bake at 200°C for about 40 min, until the crust is golden.
- Serve hot, ideally with homemade fruit ketchup.
How it was made : An emblematic dish of Christmas and New Year's réveillon since the 19th century, tourtière varies by region—the Lac-Saint-Jean version is a deep pie mixing several meats and game. Sweet spices mark the legacy of colonial trade routes. (The potato, an American ingredient, is perfectly period for modern Quebec.)
The contemporary twist : Served with homemade fruit ketchup and coleslaw; guests' names are written on kraft paper tags slipped under each slice.
Hélène Dorion · Charactorium