tourtière

i am as french - canadian as you can get...well 50%

the other 1/2 - irish & english

i have a pepe and had a great meme

this recipe is in memory of our meme - my aunts have worked really hard to recreate the recipe that they remember her by, she never wrote down the original - they are pretty much spot on
A tourtière is a meat pie originating from Quebec, usually made with minced pork and/or veal, or beef. It is a traditional part of the Christmas and/or Christmas Eve réveillon and New Year's Eve meal in Quebec, Tourtière is not exclusive to Quebec. Tourtière is a traditional French-Canadian dish served by generations of French-Canadian families throughout Canada and the bordering areas of the United States

this year we had our first ever Houle Family Pork Pie Cook Off - vegan versus traditional

my goal - to prove a vegan pork pie could taste just as good as the original

tourtière recipes vary from family to family

some use all pork, like my family does - others use a combination of beef & pork

spices varying from cinnamon to allspice are used

onion, boiled potato, fresh bread crumbs, freshly ground nutmeg & allspice are used here

my veganized version features a 50/50 mix

next year i think i will go 100% pork as my competitors did

although i definitely enjoyed this years version with the mix

my *totally awesome* uncle jim made us a trophy

 like the stanely cup (we are a big hockey family too!) each year the winning team will be engraved on the base of the trophy

everything goes into the pan with a cup of water to co mingle for awhile

the bread crumbs are added to absorb any liquid that is left over so you are not left with a soupy pie

homemade pie dough is a must

unless you are making over 20 pies - then you can pass off store bought as your own

for the record, my pate brise was homemade

 it is tradition for the younger ones to learn about our family pie making history my great meme on my moms side was known for her piesmy great great grandma lumina on my dads side was also known for her piesmaybe someday i will be known for my pies this is my youngest cousin jayson getting into the pie making action he is most definitely a future chef (and soon to be famous hockey player when he grows up)




 my aunts - the oldest girls in the family who started the traditionevery year, each family member puts in their tourtière order we made 24 pies that day! 

baked to golden perfection

on the way to the judging we had a little accidentno worries though, my pepe announced because it landed right side up it was still good ! ( the pie you see on the floor was the one to be entered into the official tasting) 

pepe and sue our judges

pepe had no idea he was even eating a vegan tourtière

susan scored mine 15 out of 15 - go Sunday Morning Banana Pancakes!!

tourtière is worth a try for those of you looking to offer something a little different on your holiday table 

overall i am extremely pleased with my vegan tourtière - amazingly justin LOVED this dish

he was pretty skeptical at first, but this pie won him over

the final point tally:

Houle Sisters/ Shevlin Team : 26

Sunday Morning Banana Pancakes: 25

so close!

next year we definitely have it in the bag

tourtière

serves 12

you will need:

• 2 recipes pate brisee (2 crusts - top & bottom)
• (1) 14oz tube light life gimme lean vegetarian ground sausage
• (1) 12oz package light life vegetarian smart ground
• 1 1/2 cups of water
• 1 tbsp salt
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg - freshly grated if possible
• 1/4 tsp allspice
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1 large potato - small dice
• 1 cup bread crumbs
• dab butter

assembly:

• make pate brisee a few hours or day before
• saute onions with butter
• place meat in saucepan with onions - add water & spices & mix well
• cook over medium heat for 15 - 20 minutes, stirring often & adding more water if necessary
• remove from heat and add bread crumbs - mix well
• grease a pie plate, roll out both dough discs and line bottom of pie plate
• add filling and cover with second pie crust - make 3 small cuts on top for steam to escape
• bake in a 350* oven for 35-40 minutes until crust is golden brown - serve warm

enjoy!

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