French Cuisine
Tourtière
By Sylvie Bouchard
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Tourtière is the meat pie at the heart of a Québécois Christmas, traditionally served after midnight Mass on the réveillon, the long family feast that runs into the early hours of Christmas morning. Its history reaches back to New France in the 1600s, and there is gentle regional rivalry over how it should be made: the version from the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region is a deep-dish pie layered with cubed meats and potatoes, while the everyday tourtière of the Montréal area, closer to this recipe, is a shallower pie of finely textured ground pork and beef. What unites every version is the warm spicing. The combination of cinnamon, cloves, and allspice is the soul of the dish; it is what makes a tourtière taste like a tourtière rather than a generic meat pie, and it carries the unmistakable scent of the holidays. The mashed potato folded into the filling is doing quiet but important work: it absorbs the savory broth and binds the meat so each slice holds together cleanly instead of crumbling. Brown the meats well, let the filling simmer until the liquid is absorbed, and cool it before filling the crust so the bottom pastry stays flaky. Bake to a deep golden brown, cool slightly so the filling sets, and serve in wedges, often with a spoonful of ketchup, pickled beets, or a fruit-based chutney on the side.
Ingredients
Serves 8Instructions
- 1
Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).
- 2
In a large skillet, cook the ground pork, ground beef, onion, and garlic over medium heat until meat is browned.
- 3
Drain fat. Add the mashed potato, beef broth, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, salt, and pepper. Simmer for 10-15 minutes until liquid is absorbed.
- 4
Place the bottom pie crust in a 9-inch pie plate. Fill with the meat mixture.
- 5
Top with the second crust, seal the edges, and cut slits in the top for steam to escape. Brush with egg wash if desired.
- 6
Bake for 40-45 minutes until the crust is golden brown.
Chef's Tips
- ✦ Brown the pork and beef thoroughly before adding liquid; the fond that develops is the backbone of the filling's savory depth.
- ✦ Don't skimp on the cinnamon, cloves, and allspice - that warm trio is what makes a tourtière taste authentically Québécois rather than like a plain meat pie.
- ✦ Simmer the filling until the broth is fully absorbed; a wet filling will make the bottom crust soggy and hard to slice.
- ✦ Cool the filling before spooning it into the raw bottom crust so the pastry stays cold and bakes up flaky instead of greasy.
- ✦ Cut generous steam vents in the top crust and brush it with egg wash for a glossy, deeply browned finish.
- ✦ Let the baked pie rest at least 15 minutes before slicing so the filling sets and the wedges hold their shape.
Ingredient Substitutions
-
ground pork → ground veal or ground chicken
Ground veal keeps the texture delicate and traditional; chicken makes a leaner pie but add a little extra fat or broth for moisture.
-
ground beef → ground game or extra pork
Many old recipes use venison or other game; if you prefer, simply increase the pork for an all-pork filling.
-
mashed potato → rolled oats or fresh breadcrumbs
A few tablespoons of oats or breadcrumbs bind the filling and soak up the broth just as the potato does.
-
beef broth → chicken or vegetable broth
Any savory broth works to keep the filling moist; chicken broth gives a slightly lighter flavor.
-
pie crusts → homemade all-butter pastry
Refrigerated crusts are convenient, but a homemade all-butter or lard pastry gives the flakiest, most traditional result.
-
allspice → ground nutmeg or a pinch of mace
If you are out of allspice, nutmeg or mace keeps the warm holiday spicing close to traditional.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What spices give tourtière its signature flavor? ▼
Warm spices - cinnamon, cloves, and allspice - define a traditional tourtière. They give the meat filling its distinctive holiday aroma.
Can I make tourtière ahead of time? ▼
Yes. You can make and refrigerate the filling a day ahead, or fully assemble and bake the pie a day before, then reheat it gently in the oven before serving.
Can I freeze tourtière? ▼
Tourtière freezes beautifully for up to three months, baked or unbaked. Thaw overnight in the fridge, then bake or reheat until the center is piping hot.
What internal temperature should tourtière reach? ▼
Because the filling uses raw ground pork and beef, cook the pie until the filling reaches 160°F (71°C) in the center and the crust is deep golden brown.
Why is there mashed potato in the filling? ▼
The mashed potato absorbs the broth and binds the ground meat so the filling holds together in clean slices instead of crumbling apart.
What do you serve with tourtière? ▼
It is traditionally served with ketchup, pickled beets, green tomato relish, or a fruit chutney, which cut the richness of the spiced meat.
How do I scale the recipe for a crowd? ▼
The recipe makes one 9-inch pie serving eight; simply make multiple pies rather than one oversized one, since deep fillings can leave the center underbaked.
