Traditional French Canadian Tourtiere Recipe
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Traditional French Canadian Tourtiere

By: kathleen 
"Originally from my grandma's recipe box, the secret of this delectable Christmas treasure is found in the ground cloves and chicken seasoning. We've always made our tourtieres en grand (in large quantity), as they freeze great making them a terrific quick fix throughout the busy holiday season!"

What to Drink?

Wine Pinot Noir
Beer Beer
Prep Time:
25 Min
Cook Time:
30 Min
Ready In:
1 Hr 45 Min

Servings  (Help)

Calculate

 

Original Recipe Yield 8 tourtieres
 

Ingredients

  • 8 pounds ground pork
  • 8 pounds ground beef
  • 4 cups finely chopped onion
  • 6 cups water
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons salt
  • 2 teaspoons pepper
  • 2 teaspoons allspice
  • 1 3/4 teaspoons ground cloves
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup liquid chicken seasoning
  • 8 (15 ounce) packages pastry for double-crust pie

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
  2. In a large pot, mix the pork, beef, onion, and water. Season with salt, pepper, allspice, cloves, cinnamon, and chicken seasoning. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer 30 minutes.
  3. Drain liquid from pot into a bowl. Transfer remaining meat mixture to a separate bowl and chill until ready to use. Place bowl with liquid in the refrigerator and chill 1 hour, or until fat has congealed on the surface.
  4. Scrape and discard fat from the chilled liquid. Spoon the meat mixture into pie crusts. Add 1 tablespoon of reserved liquid to each pie. (This prevents them from becoming to dry.) Place top crust on top of each pie and pinch edges to seal. Cut slits in top crust so steam can escape.
  5. Bake in preheated oven until golden brown, about 50 minutes. Serve immediately or freeze until ready to use.

Footnotes

  • To re-heat baked tourtieres
  • Place dabs of butter on vent holes in pastry. Cover edges of tourtiere with aluminum foil, and re-heat at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 20 minutes, or until heated through.

Nutritional Information open nutritional information

Amount Per Serving  Calories: 468 | Total Fat: 31g | Cholesterol: 71mg Powered by ESHA Nutrient Database

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 view all reviews »  

The reviewer gave this recipe 5 stars. This recipe averages a 4.5 star rating.
Reviewed on Apr. 7, 2008 by Nobody'sGirl   view full review
Liquid chicken seasoning is not chicken stock. It's like liquid bouillon (concentrated chicken...
The reviewer gave this recipe 5 stars. This recipe averages a 4.5 star rating.
Reviewed on Sep. 15, 2010 by JEPHINER Supporting Member (Click to learn more about Supporting Membership)  view full review
This is a great, great recipe. The flavor is just amazing. My only advice is DON'T make the...
The reviewer gave this recipe 5 stars. This recipe averages a 4.5 star rating.
Reviewed on Jan. 24, 2007 by fran   view full review
This was very much like my mother used to make-seasoning is fantstic. I cut the recipe 'way...
The reviewer gave this recipe 4 stars. This recipe averages a 4.5 star rating.
Reviewed on Jan. 5, 2010 by KNIERT802   view full review
The liquid chicken seasoning I use is Knorr's Bovril which is a bouillon concentrate. ...
The reviewer gave this recipe 5 stars. This recipe averages a 4.5 star rating.
Reviewed on Nov. 9, 2009 by jeannie   view full review
Being of French Canadian descent pork pies were a traditional meal on Christmas Eve. My Meme...
The reviewer gave this recipe 5 stars. This recipe averages a 4.5 star rating.
Reviewed on Feb. 24, 2010 by sandhockey   view full review
This is the authentic recipe for tortiere a la Quebecois. It had been several years since I...
The reviewer gave this recipe 5 stars. This recipe averages a 4.5 star rating.
Reviewed on Nov. 12, 2008 by MILKLISSA79   view full review
This is awesome. My first time making it and it tasted just like what I'm used to. The only...
The reviewer gave this recipe 5 stars. This recipe averages a 4.5 star rating.
Reviewed on Sep. 3, 2008 by Larry Supporting Member (Click to learn more about Supporting Membership)  view full review
Hi Kathleen. This recipe probably comes the closest to the recipe that my grandmother told me...
The reviewer gave this recipe 5 stars. This recipe averages a 4.5 star rating.
Reviewed on Oct. 21, 2007 by helenD   view full review
Best tourtiere I've had since the ones my great aunt used to make in Montreal. Thank-you!
The reviewer gave this recipe 5 stars. This recipe averages a 4.5 star rating.
Reviewed on Jun. 22, 2009 by heather's kitchen   view full review
I am planning on making this on saturday, do I bake them before freezing?

 

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