Many tourtières have a medley of meats, often including game. Our version with pork, chicken and veal is milder flavoured but still rich and delicious.
On Thanksgiving weekend The Village at Blue Mountain, Ont., fills with the fragrance of freshly baked apple pies. For this Quintessential Apple Pie Contest, bakers from this apple-growing region that rings Georgian Bay carry their pies – double crust, single crust, lattice top, streusel and more – to the judging tables. Baking enthusiast Brenda Hall of Collingwood, Ont., took first prize with this pie, which she called “Grandma Thompson's,” a classic double-crust pie that's not too sweet but full and juicy with freshly harvested local McIntosh apples. For a fall pie, re-roll the pastry scraps and cut out maple leaves to arrange over the top crust.
First Prize in Rolled Cookie Category
Catherine Laframboise of Toronto loves the flavours of maple and walnut together and says they are even better dressed up in this recipe with buttercream and praline. If you can't find maple sugar, substitute 1/2 cup (125 mL) granulated sugar and 1 tsp (5 mL) maple extract.
The Douro region is well known for bola, an olive-oil-based pastry filled with onions and ham, meat or salt cod, and served as an hors d'oeuvre. Presunto, Portuguese cured ham, is most similar to Spain's serrano ham. If you can't find either, use a dry-cured or smoked ham. The dough is oily and soft but quite easy to handle.
Family and friends will be amazed at how impressive these treats look and taste. (How easy they are to make can be your secret.) Look for pressed cottage cheese in the dairy case of the grocery store. Use 10% cheese for its rich and creamy taste. This is not the place for low-fat cheese – you won't get the desired creamy texture.
Instead of fluted tart pans, you can also use mini (1-1/4- x 3/4-inch/3 x 2 cm) muffin cups.
