Pork Pie Recipe, Grandma's EASY 7 Ingredient Tourtiere (2024)

FAQs

Why does my tourtière fall apart? ›

As the breadcrumbs and the broth help add moisture to this recipe, added fat is an unwanted quantity that tends to make the tourtiere fall apart when cutting and also is just not very pleasant.

Meat pie is primarily made of ground meat (pork, beef or veal) and aromatics (onion, garlic, spices, etc.). In Saguenay–Lac‑Saint‑Jean and Charlevoix, however, “real” tourtière is a lot heartier than meat pie and contains other meats (such as game) and potatoes that have been simmered in stock.

It gets its name from the tourte, which is what it was originally made from. Though the name "tourtière" is derived from its filling, the tourte—the French name for the passenger pigeon that is now extinct in North America—was historically used as its filling before the 20th century.

Tourtière is a meat pie that can be a combination of beef, pork, or veal, as well as potatoes and other vegetables, and seasoned with spices.

If your pie dough breaks and crumbles when you try to roll it out, it's probably too dry. This is a relatively easy fix. Just sprinkle some cold water over the dough with your fingers and work it in—gently!

You want the pastry golden, but if it starts to get too brown, cover with foil. To freeze, cool the pies completely. Wrap them in plastic wrap tightly, then in foil. The pies will keep for two days in the fridge or up to three months in the freezer.

Traditionally, Tourtière is served with roasted vegetables or a light frisseé salad. An assortment of pickled foods is always delicious; pickled beets, spicy carrots, gherkins or pickled onions. Many enjoy a tomato-based chutney but most… just break out the ketchup.

Historical records of Quebec tourtière, which was likely named for the copper and tin pans the pies are baked in, date back to the 17th century. But hearty pies of the sort have been around for as long as humans have thought to combine pastry with meat.

It's a traditional Québecois meat pie that combines ground pork and beef with potatoes, onions, and spices, all enveloped in a buttery pie crust. It's rich and delicious and is traditionally enjoyed on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve.

“A 'tourte' was the name of a bird like a pigeon, and they were making pie with these types of birds,” says Ricardo. “So they called it 'tourtière. ' Another other explanation is that it got the name from the dish — a tourtière is also the [pie pan] in which this meat pie was cooked and baked.”

What is the difference between a tourtière and a tourtière du Lac St Jean? ›

The tourtière du Lac-Saint-Jean differs from a regular tourtière by having thicker crust, cubes of potatoes, meats and broth (instead of only minced meat), as well as being placed in a much larger and deeper container. Like a regular tourtière, the meat chosen is usually pork, beef or veal.

Use two types of minced meat

Pork is fattier and will bring moisture in addition to binding the ingredients, while veal and beef have a more pronounced taste. Choose semi-lean or lean meat—extra-lean meat will make the tourtière too dry.

Apart from the literal meaning of actual pies filled with pork, 'pork pies' is co*ckney rhyming slang for 'lies'. With rhyming slang the actual portion that rhymes is often dropped in order to further confuse the outsider, so it becomes 'porkies'. So, someone 'telling porkies' is a liar.

Pork pies in Yorkshire

In Yorkshire slang a pork pie is sometimes called a "growler", a term probably derived from the "NAAFI growler" of earlier naval and army slang. An annual pork pie competition is held in April at The Old Bridge Inn, Ripponden, Yorkshire.

My pumpkin pie always cracks or separates from the crust.

The solution? Blind-bake your pie crust with pie weights until light gold, then pour in the filling and bake until inch or so diameter in the center is still jiggly like jello—not soupy.

Overfilling the pie: If the pie is overfilled, the filling may not have enough room to expand and can cause the pie to sink. Not allowing the pie to cool completely: If the pie is sliced while it is still warm, the filling may not have set properly and can cause the pie to sink.

How do you keep shepherds pie from falling apart? The eggs in the mashed potatoes help keep the pie together. You should also make sure to spread the potatoes and press down a bit.

If it's too crumbly, add a little more water. Once your pastry has come together, don't then ruin it when rolling it out. It's always tempting to shovel loads of flour onto a work surface when rolling out pastry.