Best French Canadian Shepherds Pork Pie With Variations Recipes

TOURTIERE (FRENCH PORK PIE)

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, mix together the ground pork, cloves, cinnamon, onion, salt, celery, bay leaf and water. The water will help break up the raw pork. Simmer over medium-low heat for about 3 hours, or until the water has evaporated. Remove from the heat and discard the bay leaf.
• Towards the end of the pork cooking time, place the potatoes into a separate saucepan and fill with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil and cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain and mash potatoes. When the pork is done, stir the mashed potatoes into that pan until evenly blended.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line two 9 inch pie plates with bottom crusts. Spoon equal amounts of the pork filling into each crust. Cover with top crusts and flute the edges to seal.
• Bake for 45 minutes in the preheated oven, or until crust is golden brown.

TOURTIERE (FRENCH CANADIAN MEAT PIE)

Steps:

• Place flour, salt, and frozen butter slices into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse on and off until butter is about the size of peas, about 30 seconds. Stir vinegar into cold water; drizzle water/vinegar into the flour mixture. Pulse on and off until mixture is crumbly and holds together when you pinch a piece off, about 10 seconds. If dough isn't pressing together, drizzle in another teaspoon of water.
• Transfer mixture to a work surface. Press it together until it becomes a lump of dough. Wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until chilled, at least 1 hour.
• Mix salt, pepper, thyme, sage, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, mustard, clove, and cayenne together in a small bowl.
• Place potato quarters in a saucepan; cover with cold water. Add 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Bring to a boil over high heat; reduce heat. Simmer until cooked through, 10 to 15 minutes. Scoop out potatoes and transfer to a bowl; save cooking liquid. Mash potatoes with a potato masher.
• Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add chopped onion and a pinch of salt. Cook and stir until onions turn golden, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Stir garlic, celery, and spice blend into the skillet with onions. Stir until onion mixture is evenly coated with the spices, about 30 seconds. Add ground beef and ground pork. Ladle about 3/4 cup of the potato cooking liquid into the skillet.
• Cook and stir until meat is browned and has a very fine, almost pastelike texture. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until meat is tender and most of the liquid has evaporated, about 45 minutes. Stir in mashed potatoes. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Divide chilled dough into 2 pieces, one just slightly larger than the other. Roll the larger piece out into a 12-inch circle on a lightly floured work surface. Place in a 9-inch deep dish pie plate. Roll top crust out into a circle about 11 inches in diameter. Cut small slits in the top crust to allow steam to escape.
• Fill bottom crust with the meat mixture; smooth out the surface. Whisk egg and water together to make egg wash. Brush edges of the bottom crust with egg wash. Place top crust on the pie and press lightly around the edges to seal. Trim excess dough from the crust. Crimp the edges of the crust. Brush entire surface of the pie with egg wash.
• Place in preheated oven. Bake until well browned, about 1 hour. Let cool to almost room temperature before serving.

FRENCH CANADIAN SHEPHERD'S PORK PIE WITH VARIATIONS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• In a saucepan, cook potatoes and mash them. Season the potatoes to taste with salt and pepper.
• Grind your leftover cooked pork and add chopped fried onion. Season with your favorite spices. Such as rosemary, thyme, marjoram, parsley, pepper, savory or garlic.
• In a small saucepan, heat creamed corn.
• In an oven proof dish, alternate layers of mashed potatoes, creamed corn, and ground pork, finishing with a layer of mashed potatoes.
• Dot with butter and bake in oven for 20 to 30 minutes or until potatoes are crusty and golden brown.
• VARIATIONS: Replace creamed corn with 2 cups applesauce. Garnish with thin slices of apple sautéed in butter.
• Replace creamed corn with 19 oz. can asparagus coarsely chopped. Serves 4.
• What's Cooking.

PORK PIE

Steps:

• In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook bacon until fat begins to render, about 2 minutes. Add ground pork and cook, breaking it up into bite-size pieces, until no longer pink, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Return skillet to medium-high; swirl in oil. Add onion, garlic, and celery; season with salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and brown in spots, 7 to 9 minutes. Return pork mixture and any accumulated juices to skillet. Stir in potato, broth, cinnamon, and clove; season with pepper. Reduce heat to medium and simmer, stirring occasionally, until broth is mostly evaporated, 25 to 28 minutes.
• Transfer pork mixture to a bowl and let cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes. Lightly beat 1 egg; stir into pork mixture with parsley.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees with racks in center and lowest positions. Roll out one disk of dough to an 11-inch round on a work surface dusted with flour. Transfer to a 9-inch pie plate; trim edges to a 1/2-inch overhang. Transfer pork mixture to pie shell. Roll remaining dough to an 11-inch round and center over filling. Trim edges to a 1/2-inch overhang. Fold edges of top crust under edges of bottom crust, tucking dough until flush with edge of pie plate. Crimp edges with the tines of a fork. Freeze until firm, about 20 minutes. Beat remaining egg with 1 teaspoon water. Brush crust with egg wash, then cut a few vents in top of crust.
• Bake the chilled pie on the center rack with a rimmed baking sheet on the lowest rack (to catch any drips) until crust is golden brown and filling bubbles slightly through vents, 50 minutes to 1 hour. Let cool on a wire rack 30 minutes before slicing. Serve with mustard and cornichons.