Mini Beef Tourtières (Printable Version)

Flaky pastries filled with savory spiced ground beef. A delightful Canadian-inspired appetizer for any occasion.

# Ingredient List:

→ Cream Cheese Pastry

01 - 8 oz cream cheese, softened
02 - 8 oz unsalted butter, cold and diced
03 - 2 cups all-purpose flour
04 - 1/2 teaspoon salt

→ Beef Filling

05 - 1 lb ground beef
06 - 1 small onion, finely chopped
07 - 1 clove garlic, minced
08 - 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
09 - 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
10 - 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
11 - 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
12 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
13 - 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
14 - 1/4 cup beef broth
15 - 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
16 - 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

→ Assembly

17 - 1 egg, beaten for egg wash

# How-To Steps:

01 - In a large bowl, blend softened cream cheese and cold diced butter until smooth. Add flour and salt, mixing until a soft dough forms. Divide dough in half, flatten each into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
02 - In a skillet over medium heat, melt butter. Add chopped onion and cook until translucent, approximately 3-4 minutes. Add minced garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add ground beef and cook until browned, breaking it apart with a spoon. Stir in allspice, cinnamon, cloves, thyme, salt, and pepper. Pour in beef broth and simmer until mostly evaporated, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in parsley, and allow to cool completely.
03 - Preheat oven to 400°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
04 - On a floured surface, roll out pastry dough to 1/8 inch thickness. Cut out 2 3/4 inch rounds using a pastry cutter. Place half the rounds on prepared baking sheets.
05 - Spoon 1 heaping teaspoon of cooled beef filling onto each pastry round. Brush edges lightly with water, top with a second pastry round, and seal edges by pressing with a fork.
06 - Brush tops of sealed pastries with beaten egg. Cut a small slit in each pastry to allow steam to escape during baking.
07 - Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until pastries achieve a golden brown color. Allow to cool slightly before serving.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The cream cheese pastry is so tender it practically melts on your tongue, nothing like the tough crusts you get from store bought.
  • They disappear faster than you can refill the platter, which means you get to make them again sooner.
  • You can freeze the assembled unbaked tourtières and bake them straight from frozen when surprise guests show up.
02 -
  • If you skip chilling the pastry dough, it will be sticky and impossible to roll out without adding too much extra flour, which makes it tough.
  • Let the beef filling cool completely before assembling or the heat will soften the pastry and make sealing the edges nearly impossible.
  • Don't overfill them, I learned this the hard way when half my first batch burst open in the oven and filling oozed everywhere.
03 -
  • Use a fork dipped in flour to crimp the edges, it prevents sticking and gives you those classic tourtière ridges everyone recognizes.
  • If your pastry cracks when you roll it, let it sit at room temperature for 5 minutes, it's too cold and needs to soften just slightly.
  • Taste your filling before you assemble, it should be well seasoned and a little bolder than you think because the pastry will mellow it out.
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