Tourtière with Chili Sauce
Few dishes capture the essence of French-Canadian tradition like tourtière. Golden and spiced, this meat pie has graced holiday tables since the 1600s, when early settlers adapted Old World pies to the ingredients of New France. Over time, it became inseparable from réveillon, the late-night Christmas Eve feast, where families gathered after midnight mass to share food, stories, and song. In many homes, including Grandma’s, tourtière was paired with homemade chilli sauce. Today, tourtière endures not just as a holiday classic but as a symbol of French-Canadian heritage, a dish that ties family, memory, and culture together in every slice.
Prep Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 2 hrs 15 mins
Serves: 6–8
Ingredients
Pie Crust
2 ½ cups (310 g) all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 cup (225 g) cold unsalted butter (cubed) or lard
6–8 tbsp ice water
Filling
2 tbsp butter
1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
450 g (1 lb) ground pork and/or beef
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp each ground cloves, allspice & nutmeg
1 tsp dried thyme
½ cup (120 ml) chicken stock or water
1 potato, boiled & mashed
Salt & black pepper, to taste
1 egg, beaten (for glaze)
Chili Sauce
3 cups canned tomatoes
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 onion, finely chopped
½ cup white vinegar
½ cup brown sugar
1 tsp mustard seeds
½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp ground cloves
Salt, to taste
Method
Crust: Mix flour and salt. Cut in butter until crumbly, add ice water just until dough comes together. Divide in two, wrap, and chill 1 hour.
Filling: In a skillet, sauté onion and garlic in butter. Add meat and cook until browned. Stir in spices, thyme, stock, and mashed potato. Season well, cool slightly.
Assemble: Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F). Roll out one crust to line a pie dish, fill with meat mixture, then cover with second crust. Seal edges, cut a vent, and brush with egg wash.
Bake: Place on a tray and bake 40–45 minutes, until golden. Rest 10 minutes before slicing.
Chili Sauce: Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and simmer 45–60 minutes, stirring until thickened.
Serve: Slice the tourtière hot, with chilli sauce on the side.