Tourtiere

My favourite part of Christmas has always been Christmas Eve. It may have something to do with the excitement and anticipation of the fun to come. Mostly it is because my Christmas Eves were always spent at my grandmothers house, who made everything feel so special. We drank punch out of fancy glasses and when we were older Old Fashions in her cross and olive crystal. The table spread of hors d’oeurves on freshly pressed linens always emphasized the thought and care she put into making the event significant. Towards the end of the evening, everyone would gather around the piano and sing Christmas Carols into the night. [Which supports my husband’s theory that we are distantly related to the Van Traps or the Kennedys] I have recently taken on my grandmothers tradition and have started hosting Christmas Eve at my house. A few of the hors d’oeurves may have changed, but I have made an effort to keep the classics, as timeless as ever. There will be punch, Old Fashions, Christmas Carols, and always Tourtieres.

For those not familiar, a tourtiere is a classic French Canadian meat pie that is traditionally served on Christmas Eve. It is delicious, and only having it once a year makes it all the more special. For a host, nothing could be simpler and the pie in its entirety can be made, frozen, and pulled out and cooked the day of, taking all of the stress out! I usually make the pies, do not put the egg wash on and freeze them uncooked. I pull them out of the freezer the day before serving, and cook them as directed. We always serve our tourtiere with homemade chili sauce.

Note: summer savory is dried spice that I have only used in tourtieres. I’m not sure it has any other purpose. But you can find it in most well-stocked grocery stores.

Tourtiere
Toronto Sun

Makes 2 pies

2 double crust pie dough
2 lb medium ground beef
1 lb lean ground pork
2 large onions, diced
1 cup diced tender celery stalks, with leaves
1 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 1/2 cup water
2 tsp dried summer savory
1 tsp each ground cinnamon and cloves
1 tsp each salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp nutmeg
3/4 cup large-flaked rolled oats
1 large egg yolk
1 Tbsp milk

In a large Dutch oven, combine the beef, pork, onions, celery, parsley, water, savory, cinnamon, cloves, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, constantly breaking up the meat and stirring until the meat is no longer pink and is crumbling, about 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has almost evaporated, about 1 hour. Remove from the heat and stir in the rolled oats. Let the mixture cool. [Note: You can make this up to 3 days in advance]

On a floured counter roll out 1 of the pastry discs to 1/4 inch thickness. Line a deep 9-inch pie plate with pastry leaving the edge untrimmed. Fill with half of the meat mixture. Roll out a second disk of pastry and unroll it over the fillings. Trim and flute the edges to seal. Repeat for the second pie. Cut steam vents in the center of each pie. In a cup, mix the egg yolk with milk and brush over the surface of both pies.

Bake in the bottom third of a 400F oven until pastry is golden and the filling is piping hot, about 40 to 45 minutes. Let stand for at least 5 minutes before serving.