Meat Pie (Coconut Flour and Protein)

tourtiereprotein Tourtière is a traditional French Canadian meat pie, especially popular around the holidays. This Keto Tourtière passes for the real thing, at a fraction of the carbs.

Filling:
2 carrots, peeled and grated
3 turnips, peeled and cut into ⅓″ cubes
1 small onion, finely chopped
4 ribs celery, finely chopped
1 lb ground pork
1 lb lean ground beef
½ cup fresh parsley, chopped
1-2 Tbsp. dried summer savoury
2-3 tsp. black pepper, freshly ground
2 bay leaves
1 tsp. sea salt
¼ tsp. ground cloves
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
1½ cups beef or chicken broth

Dough:
1¼ cup unflavoured whey protein powder
1 cup superfine almond flour
⅓ cup coconut flour
2 tsp. xanthan gum
¼ tsp. sea salt
8 oz cream cheese, chopped
½ cup unsalted butter, cold and chopped
⅓ cup water, cold
1 large egg

Assembly:
pan spray
1 large egg
1 Tbsp. water, cold

Make the Filling:
After your carrots, turnips and onion are peeled and all of the veggies are chopped into small pieces, add them to a large skillet, along with the meats and seasoning. Stir everything together until well mixed. Add the milk and the broth, stirring once again to fully combine.

Bring this meat mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling, turn the heat down to medium and simmer - stirring often - until the liquid has cooked off and the meat has broken down almost to a paste. This should take about an hour, give or take.

Once it’s ready, remove from heat and let the filling cool to room temperature.

For the Dough:
Measure flours, xanthan gum and salt into the bowl of your food processor, blitz to combine.

Add cream cheese, blitz a few times until mixture resembles gravel.

Add butter, ¼ cup water and egg. Blitz a few more times - just long enough to start to bring it together as a dough - you may need to use a little more water. Do NOT over-process it.

Remove dough from processor, knead lightly to bring it together as a ball.

Wrap in plastic wrap, chill for 1 hour before using.

Preheat an oven to 425°F (220°C/200°C fan, Gas Mark 7). Spray a large piece of parchment paper with pan spray.

Assembly:
Divide the pie dough into 2 parts - one slightly bigger than the other.

Roll the larger section out on the sprayed parchment using additional protein powder to prevent the rolling pin from sticking.

Invert the pie crust - parchment and all - over a deep-dish pie plate / deep baking dish.

Carefully peel the parchment away and press the pie crust into the bottom of the pan, carefully working it into the corners.

Fill the lined pie pan with the cooled filling, spreading it into the corners and mounding it in the center. Press down slightly to compress.

Spray another piece of parchment paper with nonstick spray, roll out the remaining piece of dough.

Invert the second pie crust over the meat pie filling. Once centered, carefully peel back the parchment, leaving the pie crust in place.

Trim the excess dough and crimp the edges as desired, cut a couple of slits on the top for steam vents. If desired, roll any extra dough very thin, cut into shapes and apply to the crust for decoration.

In a small bowl or mug, whisk the egg together with a little water. Use a pastry brush to coat the entire top of the tourtière with a thin coating of this egg wash.

Bake in the preheated oven for 30-40 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown.

Serve warm or cold.

Makes 8 servings.