Quebec Meat Pies

Recipe from The Ritz-Carlton Hotel. Montrealers asked Ritz to lend his name to their new business. Ritz agreed but insisted on a series of conditions. Each room had to have its own bathroom (which was unusual and opulent for the time), each room had to have its own telephone—an unheard of luxury—each floor had to have its own kitchen, so room service would be perfect, and a valet was to be available twenty-four hours a day. Ritz had a staircase in his Paris lobby specifically designed so that people could make a grand entrance into the public areas. He required that it be reproduced in Montreal. All the conditions were met, and on New year’s Eve of 1912 The Ritz-Carlton opened its doors.

• Ready In: 1 hr 5 mins
• Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 1  cup  small cubes beef
• 1  cup  small cubes boneless skinless chicken
• 1  cup  small cubes  veal
• 1  tablespoon  finely chopped shallot
• 1  teaspoon  chopped fresh thyme or 1⁄2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1  tablespoon  chopped fresh parsley
• 1  tablespoon  chopped fresh basil or 1 1⁄2 teaspoons dried basil
• 1  tablespoon  chopped fresh chives
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons  chopped fresh tarragon or 3⁄4 teaspoon dried tarragon
•  salt & freshly ground black pepper
•  pie dough, to line and top 6 large muffin cups
• 1  large idaho potato, peeled and cut into small dice
• 1  egg, beaten

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Place each cup of meat in a separate bowl. Season each with shallots, herbs, salt, and pepper.
3. Roll out the pie dough and line 6 large nonstick muffin cups with it, reserving enough to make tops. If not using nonstick muffin cups, grease before lining with pie dough. Cut off overlap.
4. Make a layer of beef cubes at the bottom of each cup, followed by a layer of potato, then chicken cubes, more potato, and finally the veal cubes. Press down slightly to compact the filling. Dampen the top edge of the pie dough in each cup with water and top with a round of the pie dough. Press to make the dough adhere. Using a small paring knife, score the edge of each pie, without cutting through the dough. Make a hole in the center of each, so the steam can escape. Brush each with the beaten egg.
5. Place the muffin cups in the preheated oven and bake for 50 minutes. Remove pies to individual plates and serve warm.
6. Burt Wolf * Eating Well.