RECIPE MAGIC!

MINI TOURTIÈRE TARTS

Bite-sized versions of Quebec's beloved meat pie are perfect for holiday gatherings. Handheld mini tourtières  balance filling and pastry without committing to a full pie slice. Make them ahead for your holiday buffet spreads. 

A Bit Of History: Tourtière can be traced back four centuries. Québécois settlers attended midnight mass on Christmas Eve and celebrated afterwards with réveillon, a late-night feast fit for a king. Religious service or not, the meat pie tradition is practiced throughout Québec and across the country. While everyone has a special family recipe, we love our Montreal Tourtière, made with fatty ground pork alone, with no beef in the mix. Warm spices like cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves are classic ingredients. Our tarts are made with the same filling. Ketchup is always a sentimental go-to for dipping. But we always have a selection of our oils and balsamics on the table to make each mouthful of Tourtière anew!

INGREDIENTS:
2 pounds finely ground 100% pork (on the fatty side)
1 large potato, minced or grated
1 large onion, minced or grated
1 clove garlic, minced or grated
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup water
1/2 tsp dried thyme or savory
1/2 tsp ground sage
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 whole egg, whisked for pre-baking wash

Pastry, enough for two crusts. Use EVOO pie dough or store bought puff pastry.  

CONDIMENTS FOR A TWIST: Maple Dark Balsamic, Cinnamon Pear Dark Balsamic, Rosemary Olive Oil, Wild Mushroom Sage Olive Oil,  Cranberry Pear Balsamic, Black Mission Fig Balsamic
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 375°.  Combine pork, potatoes, onion, garlic, water and spices in a saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat until mixture begins to boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer stirring occasionally until meat is cooked and water and fat are reduced -- about 90 minutes. If the mixture is too runny or thin, sprinkle, then stir in a small amount of flour to thicken. Cool the mixture.

ASSEMBLY:
Roll out pastry dough to 1/8" thickness. Cut into 5" circles for medium-sized muffin tins, larger circles as needed. Line tins with pastry dough. Generously spoon in meat mixture to fill to top. Cut smaller circles for tops. Crimp edges tightly. Brush with egg wash to seal pastry and for a shiny finish. 

BAKING:
Place in centre rack of oven. Bake 20-25 minutes until golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool. Remove from baking pan when ready to serve. Makes approximately 24 tartlets.