Friday, November 30, 2012

Chopped Meat Pie - The Beginning of Tourtière

Another manner of making a chopped meat torte.
Choose the flesh of calf or capon, or another good Meat, remove the skin, the nerve, & the bones, then chop this flesh well & fine, & pound in a mortar; add there a little fresh cheese, & as much old cheese which is rasped or cut very finely, add approximately six well beaten eggs, & as much as needed ox marrow, or fat which is cut thinly, mix these things together & season them with a little salt, & a little [mixed or pastry] spices or powdered cinnamon. Put a bottom crust of puff paste in your tourte plate, spread your meat mixture evenly, & cover it with a lid of puff paste; make a small hole in the middle, & cook this torte sufficiently.

This would appear to be the beginnings of the French or Canadiene's tourtière, or meat pie. Janna includes two recipes that are pretty close and will give you proportions of ingredients. Using quatre épices, a mixed or pastry spice, will insure unique flavor and keeping abilities, as these pies are often served cold or at room temperature.
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Autre maniere de faire une tourte de viande hachée. Prenés à discretion de la chair de veau ou de chapon, ou d’autre bonne Viande qui soit boüille, ostez la peau, les nerve, & les os, puis vous hacherez cette chair bien mennë, & vous la pillerez enfuite dans un mortier; adjoûtez y un peu de fromage frais, & autant de fromage vieil qui soit raspé ou decoupé bien menu, mettez y aussi environ six oeufs bien battus, & autant qu’il sera besoin de moësle de boeuf, ou de panne de porc qui soit coupée menuë, mes ez ces choses ensemble & les assaisonez de sel bien menu, & d’un peu d’épisse ou de canelle en poudre. Lors que vostre appareil sera prest, vous mettrez dans une tourtiere une abesse de paste fueilletée, garnissez-là suffisamment de vostre farce ou appareil, puis vous la couvrirez d’un couvercle de pâte, faites-y un petit trou au milieu, & faites cuire cette tourte suffisamment.
Le Cuisiniere François: Le Patissier François,
La VeRenne. Chez Jacques Canier, Paris, 1680, p.210.

3 comments:

Ed said...

I love french food, this is a great post post, and a great blog. Thanks!

Jon Laiche said...

Is it possible or probable that this recipe or Tourtiere could be associated with the Natchitoches Meat Pies that are famous in Louisiana? St. Denis (the founder opf Natchitoches, was a Canadien, as were his bosses, Iberville and Bienville.

Carolyn said...

Jon,
Natchitoches Meat Pies look like Pasties, which are a recipe included in Massialot's Court & Country Cook, translated in 1702 from his 1691 book.
Rissoles are another possibility, p.234-5.
Thanks for the headsup about the Natchitoches Meat Pies.

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