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Since 1998

French meat pie (tourte)

A riche and hearty dish.  Best had for lunch on a day when you planned to be active in the afternoon.  A side extra could be salad leaves sprinkled with balsamic vinegar.
Time needed 1 h preparation, 1 h cooking

Ingredients

  • 2 sheets of puff pastry (or 250g if fresh (0.5 lb), divide it into a base and a lid)
  • 200 g fresh beef mince (0.45 lb)
  • 3 tomatoes
  • 1 onion
  • garlic
  • 1 egg + 1 egg-yolk
  • 15 g butter (0.5 oz) (unsalted)
  • 1 tablespoon seasoning herbs
  • nutmeg, salt, pepper

Preparation

Garnish a greased round or square pie pan with half the pastry (will form the base) and put it in the fridge (or freezer) so that the cold acts as a barrier for when the filling is pourred in.
Peel and cut the tomatoes in slices.
Fry the garlic and the onion in a bit of butter in a pan until translucid.
Add the mince.   When it is medium, add the tomatoes, the beaten egg, the seasoning herbs, salt, pepper and nutmeg.
At this stage, you can extend the cooking for another half an hour, to allow the flavours to diffuse . . .    You can process the end result at the food processor for a fluider filling.
Pour the mix in the 80% of the inside of the pastry bottom, brush a mix of yolk and water on the edge of the pastry to allow the lid to seal well.
Put the pastry lid on, and brush with yolk-egg mixture, it will render into a nice crust when baked.

With a knife, stripe off the lid following diagonal or rounded patterns to allow air to escape during the baking.
Cook for 40 minutes at hot oven, 220°C (430°F); add a sheet of foil to prevent the lid from burning if you want to leave the pie a bit more . . .
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created 02 July 2011
revised 12 February 2017 by
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