READY IN ABOUT 1½ hrs

Cretons

Read Reviews (24)

"This is a pork spread that used to be very popular amongst French Canadian working in the woods. This is best appreciated spread on toasts or plain multigrain bread." — Nans

Directions

Place the ground pork, milk, onion and garlic into a large saucepan. Season with salt, pepper, cloves and allspice. Cook over medium heat for about 1 hour, then stir in the bread crumbs. Cook for 10 more minutes. Adjust seasonings to taste. Transfer to a small container and keep refrigerated.

Kitchen-Friendly View

PREP 10 mins
COOK 1 hr 10 mins
READY IN 1 hr 20 mins

Reviews More Reviews

Most Helpful Positive Review

Sep 25, 2005

Great recipe! However, the recipe does not mention that you cannot use lean ground pork for this (that is probably why some people found it not easy to spread).Another trick to increase creaminess: use an immersion blender after 20 min. of cooking. It improves the texture (if you want smoother cretons, that is). It taste a lot better with fresh bread crumbs as well (if using fresh, increase to 1/2 cup. Traditional recipe call for 1 cup of fresh bread crumbs, but it is a bit much for my taste). I am an unrooted french canadian, so I was glad to find this recipe, which is a staple in our household!

—CRIMSONSODA

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Most Helpful Critical Review

Nov 26, 2007

This recipe is a very old one. As with ones that are passed down from Mere Mere, pronouced "meh-may". (grandmother). These recipes vary greatly. From Cretons with spices to ones that have hardly any. I tend to like the spices, and the oldest recipe I have found includes these wonderful spices. This recipe was made for me over 20 years ago from a friend that we were stationed with in the Air Force. She was very "French Canadian" and spoke it often. Once having this recipe, I was hooked with French Canadian Cuisine. This recipe was left a little bland for me. Many have had a hard time with this one. But you must be patient with this one. It takes a long time to cook. And even if the liquid looks all gone, keep stirring and at the end when all of it is still hot, turn it in a food processor. Just to get that perfect Puree. Press it in a loaf pan. Then you can turn it out and make slices to match the size of the bread. This is a fantastic breakfast. As they say: Çé tsiguidou. (everythings A-Okay, or everythings alright)

—Just Me

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29 Ratings

Dec 06, 2005

This turned out perfect! My husband is French-Canadian so we've had cretons a lot in the past. We can buy it here as well but this homemade version is going to be the new norm in our house! I would feel confident serving this to his Grandmother the next time we visit her in Quebec. I processed it for about 10 pulses in the food processor after it was all done just to break up the onions a bit more.

—Pichoux

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Oct 06, 2011

I am of Quebecois heritage, and this recipe is really quite good. A few things I might suggest...This is a very old recipe, and the quality of our meats have changed dramatically since these recipes originated.Our pork is way too lean to make this recipe accurately. In order to reach the proper texture, taste, consistency, I added 1/2 cup of lard (yes,lard)to the ingredients.Pork fat is imperative if you want cretons to taste/look anything like they should.We also ate our cretons with more spice than this recipe calls for. 1/2 tsp ground clove, 1/2 tsp allspice, 1/2 tsp cinnamon.Also make sure to add plenty of salt for seasoning..I highly recommend this recipe!

—athinalev

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Oct 29, 2009

Cretons are not the most flavorful of recipes but I like to make them more yummy by using 2 cloves are garlic and adding Parsley and dry minced green onion when they are done cooking. I also let them simmer for another hour or 2. When done, I put them in my food processor and then let them set in the fridge over night. They are great in the morning with butter on toast, with mustard and toast or regular bread for lunch, or on French baguettes alone or with butter or mustard.

—Peachy76

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Jan 23, 2007

Excellent!! Excellent!!! The trick to this not being crumbly is to pack it into a very small dish - I got all into a little 1.5 cup casserole - took some effort! Then I covered in foil - placed my other 1.5 cup casserole on top with a 4-pound ball weight in it. Came out perfectly!! Also - I was doubtful - because the meat appeared to be cooked and liquid gone after 20 minutes - but I was patient - kept it on low for rest of the hour - stirring frequently - then added the bread crumbs...worth the wait!!! Fabulous flavor!! Oh - I didn't have fresh garlic - so I used a pinch of garlic powder. I also used grey sea salt instead of regular salt.

—Menwith Hill'er Back Home !!

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Oct 24, 2003

What a stroke of luck to find this recipe! I grew up on this and lost my mom's recipe for it. This was such a treat when eaten on plain white bread. This transplanted Franco-American from Maine says a very big THANK YOU NANS.

—BARB7390

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Sep 20, 2003

This is a fantastic recipe for cretons!! I had a flashback to my youth recently from when I went to Quebec for an exchange program and had cretons which was a staple with the family I stayed with. I found this recipe and have made it several times. For the person who rated it before me, you may have cooked it on too high a temperature and thus lost a lot of moisture. It should simmer for about an hour, I put my burner on low. After you add the bread crumbs you should whisk the mixture aggressively. I spread it on toasted slices of french baguette with plenty of mustard. YUM!

—SANDRAGREER

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Nutrition

Calories
101 kcal
5%

Carbohydrates
3.5 g
1%

Cholesterol
26 mg
9%

Fat
6 g
9%

Fiber
0.3 g
1%

Protein
7.8 g
16%

Sodium
44 mg
2%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Nutritional Information

Cretons

Serving Size: 1/12 of a recipe
Servings Per Recipe: 12
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 101
Calories from Fat: 54

% Daily Value *
Total Fat 6g 9 %
Saturated Fat 2.3g 12 %
Cholesterol 26mg 9 %
Sodium 44mg 2 %
Potassium 145mg 4 %
Total Carbohydrates 3.5g 1 %
Dietary Fiber 0.3g 1 %
Protein 7.8g 16 %
** Sugars 1.5g
Vitamin A < 1 %
Vitamin C 2 %
Calcium 5 %
Iron 5 %
Thiamin 21 %
Niacin 22 %
Vitamin B6 8 %
Magnesium 4 %
Folate 4 %

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
** Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.
(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.