VENISON TOURTIÈRE DE VILLE PÂTE BRISÉE (SHORT-CRUST PIE DOUGH)

SERVES 4

For me, Tourtière is the dish that best represents Quebec. It can be traced back to the 1600s and there is no master recipe as every family has their own version. What’s more, the style of the meat pie changes from region to region. Originally, it was made with game birds or game meat like rabbit, pheasant and moose, hence why I prefer it with venison instead of beef or pork. Tourtière still remains a staple both during Réveillon [a long dinner on Christmas eve] and in Quebecois households. It’s part of our heritage, it’s close to my heart, and it’s important for me to keep it alive.

100 g onion, finely minced 1 tbsp garlic, chopped 30 g butter 125 g mushrooms, finely chopped 125 ml red wine, plus one glass for yourself 450 g ground venison neck meat or shoulder 2 tsp Kosher salt 1 tsp Pâté Spice* 150 g back fat, ground 1 cup potato, grated 1 batch Pâte Brisée (recipe follows) 1 egg yolk

*PÂTÉ SPICE

8 tsp black pepper 9 tsp ground cloves 10 tsp ground nutmeg 7 tsp ground cinnamon 3 tsp ground ginger

1. Preheat your oven to 450°F.

2. In a large pot over medium heat, sweat the onions and garlic in butter. Add the mushrooms and continue cooking until any water from the vegetables evaporates. Add red wine, enjoy your glass, and allow the mixture to reduce completely, approximately 10 minutes.

3. Add the ground venison, salt and pâté spice to the pot. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring to separate the chunks of meat. Stir in the back fat and grated potato and cook for around 10 minutes. Taste for seasoning, remove from the heat, and let cool.

4. Divide the pie dough in half and roll it out into two 1/8-inch thick disks. Line a 12-inch pie plate with half the dough, then fill with the ground-venison mixture.

5. Cover the meat with the other half of dough and brush the top with the egg yolk. Poke a few holes in the top crust or design your pie the way you’d like it — you’re the artist.

6. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes at 450°F, then lower the temperature to 350°F and bake for about 20 minutes. 2 cups all-purpose flour 360 g unsalted butter, cold and cubed 2 tsp salt 100 ml ice water

Add the flour, butter and salt to a food processor. Pulse until the butter is incorporated and the mixture looks like wet sand. Having a few little chunks of butter here and there is OK — do not over mix. Still pulsing, slowly pour the ice water into the food processor until the mixture forms into a ball —again, do not over mix. Wrap the dough ball in plastic wrap and allow to rest in the fridge for a minimum of 1 hour.