Holiday Traditions to Bring Joy to Your Home

Here at Under The Roof we’ve been busy decorating for the holidays. The whole point of getting your home decked out in its seasonal best is so that family and other guests will feel comfortable and festive when they come visit over the holidays. This time of the year is all about reconnecting with friends and I wanted to share a tradition that I’ve been nurturing for 21 years.

Every year I’ve been getting together with some dear friends in early December to make tourtières, which are delicious meat pies. We cook together, catch up, have a glass of wine or two — it’s a great way for us to kick off the holiday season, and since we’re all ski buddies, the ski season as well.

Our group has been using the same tourtière recipe for all these years, which is incredibly easy to make and always turns out deliciously. Once done, the tourtières are frozen unbaked and we cook them as needed during the busy holiday season. Served with a salad and a glass of wine, it’s a quick and easy meal to prepare, and the pies also make a great, stress-free gift idea.

This recipe comes from my friend Anne’s mom, Rita Carey. It’s her family’s traditional tourtière recipe that has been passed down from generations in Shawinigan, Quebec. I’m (we are) happy to share the recipe — if you give it a try, be sure to send us snapshots of your tourtière at photos@utrdecorating.com. We’d love to see it!

Top image:  We are in Shirley’s beautiful kitchen, from left to right, Anne, Cathy, Carolyn, Shirley, Karen, and myself (Liette).

 Ta-da! Unbaked tourtières ready to be frozen.

Here’s what it looks like when cooked — simply delicious. Bon appétit!

Do you have a holiday tradition?  Share it in the comments section below.

Rita’s tourtière recipe

 1 1/2 lb. ground pork

1 small onion, minced

1 clove garlic, minced

½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. savory

¼ tsp. celery salt

¼ tsp. cloves

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

½ c. water

¾ c. breadcrumbs

Pie pastry (double crust)

* I like to add a dash of sage and allspice too.

Place everything except the breadcrumbs in a saucepan.  Bring to a boil and cook 20 min. uncovered over medium heat.  Add bread crumbs.  Remove from heat and cool until tepid.  Season to taste.

Line 9” pie plate with pastry, fill with meat, cover with pastry and decorate with leftover of dough.   Cut vents in the top crust with a sharp knife.  Bake at 400 degrees F for 30 min or until brown.   Serve hot or cold.

Double the recipe for a large pie.

Liette Tousignant

Co-Founder of Under The Roof Decorating