Tortiere Medallions
My husband, Paul, is French Canadian and enjoys a traditional meat pie called Tortiere. My mother has an excellent recipe, which we bake on Christmas Eve for dinner. Tortiere has been a favourite in our family for many years, but I have had to forgo this savoury pie when it’s served, because of the pastry.
Recently, while watching “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” with Guy Fieri, on the Food Network, I saw a cook wrap a meatloaf in bacon. (Please don’t ask which episode. I have no idea!) That concept gave me some ideas which lead to this recipe. The results were fabulous and gluten free. Now I can enjoy all the flavours of Tortiere without the crust!
1/4 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped (1 Tbsp)
1 Tbsp fresh chives, finely chopped (1/2 tsp dried)
2 tsp garlic, minced
1 Tbsp fresh thyme, finely chopped (1/2 tsp dried)
¼ tsp dried savoury
1/8 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/8 tsp ground cloves
3/4 cup onion, finely chopped
3/4 pound ground pork
3/4 pound ground veal
½ cup dried bread crumbs (gluten free)
1 egg, beaten
16 slices bacon
Preheat the oven to 350F. Set the bacon aside.
Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and stir until thoroughly mixed.
Cover a large cookie sheet or baking pan with tin foil. Place a layer of parchment paper on top of the tin foil. Lay the bacon out on the parchment paper in a long row down the length of the baking sheet. Make sure each slice of bacon slightly overlaps the previous one.
Evenly distribute the meat mixture down the centre of the bacon row, length wise. Form it into a log.
Using the parchment paper as a rolling mat, lift and wrap the bacon around the meat log from each side. Press firmly to ensure the bacon completely covers the meat log and the bacon ends slightly over lap.
Wrap the tortiere log in the parchment paper. Wrap the parchment paper and log in the tin foil. Bake in the preheated oven at 350F for 45 minutes. Take the log out of the oven.
Remove the tin foil, but reserve it for additional use. Remove the parchment paper and unwrap the tortiere log. Place the tin foil back on the baking sheet. Place the tortiere log on the tin foil.
Turn on the broiler. Place the tortiere log under the broiler element and broil it until the bacon becomes crispy. Remember to turn the log over so both the top and the underside become crispy.
Remove the tortiere log from the oven and allow it to rest for 10 minutes. Slice the log into about 14 medallions. I used the bacon strips as a cutting guide – one strip of bacon for each medallion.
Serve hot with your favourite sides!
ShareTags: bacon, Celiac Disease, food allergies, food intolerances, food sensitivities, gluten free, legume free, Liana Brittain, pork, tortiere, veal, wheat free