Pork & Apple Tourtiere Galette w/ Cranberry Chutney

Tourtiere is a traditional French-Canadian meal enjoyed by many people throughout Canada. There is no one correct filling; the meat depends on what is regionally available. In coastal areas, fish such as salmon is commonly used, whereas pork, beef and game are often included inland. The name derives from the vessel in which it was originally cooked, a tourtiere.

No matter what the meats used, or the presence or absence of potato, bold seasoning is the rule for all varieties. The four original spices used in the classic tourtiere are cinnamon, cloves, allspice and nutmeg. Like so many of these recipes that have been ‘handed down’ over generations, each family alters it to suit their taste. 

While the smell and flavor are unique, they aren’t difficult to like. The flavors are ultimately simple and comforting and you probably have most of the ingredients on hand often. 

This version of tourtiere replaces mashed potatoes with apples as well as using apple juice in the filling. It presents an interesting twist on the classic version.

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Pork & Apple Tourtiere Galette w/ Cranberry Chutney
Instructions
Pastry
  1. In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder & salt. Cut in butter until it resembles small peas. In a 1/2 cup measure, place 1 tsp vinegar & fill it nearly to the top with ICE water. Pour the mixture all at once over the flour mixture, mixing quickly, until dough pulls away from sides of the bowl. This should only take a couple of minutes; DO NOT OVER MIX PASTRY. Wrap in plastic wrap & place in fridge until ready to roll out.
Chutney
  1. Place all chutney ingredients in a large saucepan. Bring to a simmer & cook on low heat until cranberries pop & fruit is soft, about 15-20 minutes. Adjust seasonings, or sweetness to your taste. Remove from heat & allow to cool for a few minutes. Place chutney in a food processor & pulse a couple of times to make a sauce-like consistency. Remove from processor & allow to cool. Store in a jar in the fridge until ready to serve with tourtiere.
Tourtiere
  1. Preheat oven to 375 F.
  2. In a saucepan, heat oil & brown pork, onion, garlic & spices for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with flour & mix well. Stir in the apple juice, mustard, salt & pepper.
  3. On a lightly floured work surface, roll the dough into a 12-inch circle. Place the dough in a 10-inch pie plate & add the pork mixture. About 3/4-inch from outside edge place a ring of apple slices. Fold excess pastry in toward center.
  4. Brush the dough with egg wash then bake for 40 minutes or until the tourtiere is golden brown.
Recipe Notes
  • You may find you have a bit of extra pastry. Just wrap it well & freeze it for another time.

Tourtiere Galette

Tourtiere is a traditional French Canadian meal enjoyed by many people throughout Canada. There is no one correct filling; the meat depends on what is regionally available. In coastal areas, fish such as salmon is commonly used, whereas pork, beef and game are often included inland. The name derives from the vessel in which it was originally cooked, a tourtiere.

While the smell and flavor are unique, they aren’t difficult to like. The flavors are ultimately simple and comforting and you probably have most of the ingredients on hand often. This galette version works perfect in my favorite basic cornmeal pastry crust. Tourtiere can be made ahead and frozen, then baked off as needed.

Apart from making tourtiere in the traditional form, try using the filling in tourtiere meatballs, phyllo rolls, burgers, turnovers or chicken tourtiere tartlets. The filling recipe I’m posting today comes from a tiny little pamphlet I probably have had for 30 years from a meat packing company. It has been one that I have worked with the spices to suit our taste.

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Tourtiere Galette
Votes: 2
Rating: 5
You:
Rate this recipe!
Course Main Dish
Cuisine French
Servings
Ingredients
Cornmeal Pastry
Course Main Dish
Cuisine French
Servings
Ingredients
Cornmeal Pastry
Votes: 2
Rating: 5
You:
Rate this recipe!
Instructions
Cornmeal Pastry
  1. In a small bowl, combine sour cream & ice water; set aside. In another bowl, whisk together flour, cornmeal, sugar & salt. Using a pastry blender or finger tips, cut in butter until mixture resembles BOTH coarse crumbs & small peas.
  2. Sprinkle the cold sour cream mixture over dough, 1 Tbsp at a time, tossing with a fork to evenly distribute it. After you have added all the sour cream mixture, dough should be moist enough to stick together when pressed; if not, add additional cold water, 1 tsp at a time. DO NOT overwork dough.
  3. Press dough into a disk shape & wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
Filling
  1. Cut bacon into small pieces & fry over moderate heat until cooked but not crisp. Add pork, veal, onion & garlic; cook until meat is lightly browned. Add water & spices; reduce heat to simmer; cover pan & cook 45 minutes more. Combine meat with mashed potatoes; cool slightly.
Assembly/Baking
  1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
  2. Remove pastry from refrigerator. On a large sheet of parchment paper, roll out pastry dough into a 12-inch circle. Transfer pastry (leaving it on the parchment paper) to a large deep pie dish. You should have about a 1 1/2-inch pastry overhang. Place tourtiere filling in the pastry shell then carefully fold pastry over it, making a pleated look. Brush pastry with egg wash.
  3. Bake for about 30 minutes or until pastry is cooked & golden brown. Basically you are only baking the pastry since the filling is already cooked.
Recipe Notes
  • Very often tourtiere recipes call for cinnamon, nutmeg & cloves. Neither Brion or I care for those spices in this recipe so its a personal choice you can add or leave out.