This family recipe for Meat Pie, also known as Tourtiere, features ground pork seasoned with sweet basil and onion that’s baked in a homemade pie crust.
A few years back, I visited my longtime friend Toni to make her late grandma Flossie’s Meat Pie. The original post is below along with a little shortcut that makes this recipe easy as pie!
My good friend Toni fondly recalls the aroma of pork and sweet basil that would fill the house around the holidays whenever her grandma Flossie would make meat pies, a cherished family recipe that had been passed down through several generations in their family. She says her grandma would walk through the steps to make the pie from memory and say, “add this much water to the kettle, a pinch of this and salt to taste.”
These days, Toni makes this treasured dish just once year in the fall so I jumped at the opportunity to make it with her!
Where did the recipe come from?
This recipe has been passed down through several generations of Flossie’s family. Toni’s Aunt Linda (Flossie’s daughter) told me that it’s a French recipe that was introduced to Flossie through some of their family’s ancestors who came from France and Canada.
This makes sense to me, as the few recipes I found online for meat pie, also known as Tourtiére, were said to have French-Canadian origins. I learned there are several versions, using a combination of meats with different seasonings and sometimes potatoes or other vegetables, and that it’s typically served at Christmas. That’s when Flossie would make her family’s version of meat pie (just pork and sweet basil, no added vegetables!), arranging several pieces on a platter as part of her festive holiday spread.
Linda said that Flossie’s Meat Pie was a favorite dish that the entire family looked forward to each Christmas Eve and one Flossie was committed to making for them even when her health made it difficult. The last Christmas before Flossie passed away, she called on Linda to come and help prepare the pie as she didn’t want to disappoint family who’d be stopping by.
Today, Linda and Toni carry on this important tradition by making the dish that Flossie was known for among her family and friends. They are forever grateful for the special time they spent cooking (and eating) with Flossie in her kitchen, making memories and learning to make her cherished meat pie.
Cooking with Toni
The making of this meat pie starts by boiling fresh, ground pork in a big pot along with some onion and sweet basil—Flossie always said it has to be sweet basil or the dish won’t taste just right. Toni remembers how Flossie would measure the sweet basil with the palm of her hand, using one palm’s worth for each pound of meat.
While the meat was cooking, Toni and I made and rolled out the pie crusts, laughing at how imperfect they were but taking comfort in something Grandma Flossie told Toni, “I’ve never rolled out a crust that I didn’t have to patch!”
Next, after an about an hour, we added some flour and 4-5 pieces of bread to the pot and then transferred the mixture to a mixing bowl to blend. But before the final step of pouring the filling into the pie crusts, we took a piece of bread to dip in the meat mixture, sampling it just as Toni remembers doing with her grandma. So good!
While the pies baked, it was so fun to catch up with Toni, who I’ve been friends with since grade school and remains one of my dearest friends! My mom Carol was there too, and we had many laughs (and a few adult beverages!) as we talked about the good old days, cooking and, of course, sweet Flossie!
Some of the things I learned cooking with Toni:
- Perfecting a pie crust can be tricky! Toni uses a pastry cloth to put on her counter when rolling out the pie crust. It makes for a nice, tidy work surface and makes it easier to lift and transfer the rolled-out crust to a pan.
- She also has a handy sleeve for her rolling pin like the ones we use for lefse-making (that are kind of like a sock), to help keep the dough from sticking to the rolling pin.
- Also, a tip she learned from Grandma Flossie: A capful of milk, spread over the pie crust before baking will help it to brown nicely.
A Shortcut and Tip for Easy, Peasy, Pretty Pies!
- I’ll admit I have used store-bought pie crust. It just makes this recipe even easier if I am short on time.
- I received an embossed rolling pin as a gift and started to use it for the top crust of my meat pies. It’s a fancy little flair that is nice if you are giving pies to friends and family. I also found some mini pie tins at my neighborhood hardware store and make mini meat pies for sharing.
Thank you to Toni for introducing me to meat pie! I enjoyed this dish for days after I left Cloquet—both warmed up and just as Toni enjoys eating it, a little slice served cold or on a slice of bread with butter. I am also so thankful to both Toni and Linda for sharing their memories of Flossie and allowing me to share their treasured family recipe.
