Tourtière is a traditional French Canadian meat pie, typically enjoyed around Christmas. What makes it unique is the blend of spices—such as cloves, ginger, and cinnamon, that give it a distinct flavor compared to other meat pies. My parents love tourtière, and I’ve had it several times growing up. So, when I spotted this frozen Plaisirs Gastronomiques Tourtière at Costco, I decided to try it with them. Keep reading to find out if I think it’s worth picking up!
Location in Store
I found this in the freezer section near the Motor City Pizza Co. frozen pizza and the TGI Fridays Loaded Potato Skins. The item number is 1960788.
Taste
This tourtière is just okay, nothing amazing, but definitely edible! The spices used are quite nice and not overpowering; they give the tourtière an authentic flavor. There’s a lot of meat in the pie, but there also seems to be something that looks and tastes similar to mashed potatoes, even though no mashed potatoes are listed in the ingredients.
I found the filling a bit pasty and mushy, with a somewhat processed taste. They didn’t skimp on the meat, but the meat that is included is mushier and more processed than the tourtière we buy from our local butcher. The pastry is flaky and turned a golden brown when I baked it in the oven.
Cost
The tourtière weighs 1.85 kilograms and costs $19.99 Canadian, which seems really inexpensive. My parents buy a meat pie that’s half the size from a local shop for $29.99 Canadian. After tasting this one, I can understand why it’s priced lower,I think there’s a bit of filler in the pie.
Convenience
This pie needs to be kept frozen, and the best-before date is about 15 months from when I purchased it. I baked it in the oven at 375°F for 90 minutes, and it came out golden brown and cooked evenly inside.
Some people, like my parents, enjoy tourtière with ketchup, but I prefer it plain. I recommend serving it with a side of peas or a garden salad.
Nutrition
Calories
One-tenth of the pie contains 450 calories, 23 grams of fat, 33 grams of carbohydrates, three grams of fibre, four grams of sugar, 28 grams of protein, and 730 milligrams of sodium. That’s a fairly good amount of protein for one serving, but it’s also high in calories, fat, and sodium.
Ingredients
The ingredients list isn’t very long, and the meats used are pork, beef, and veal. I think the filler in the pie that tastes like mashed potatoes is a combination of the soy flour and wheat breadcrumbs. The Plaisirs Gastronomiques tourtière contains wheat, soy, eggs, and milk.
Scoring
Taste: 7/10
Cost: 9/10
Convenience: 9.5/10
Nutrition: 5/10
Overall
Give it a try!
This meat pie isn’t awful; it’s just not the best tourtière I’ve had. I think that if you’ve never had authentic, homemade tourtière, it may taste pretty good but if you’re used to the good stuff, you may find yourself disappointed!
Have you tried the Costco Plaisirs Gastronomiques Tourtière? What did you think of it? Leave a comment below!
Please note that this review was not paid for or sponsored by any third party. This product was purchased by Costcuisine for the purpose of producing this review. The opinions in this review are strictly those of Costcuisine. Costcuisine is not affiliated with Costco or any of its suppliers. In the event that Costcuisine receives compensation for a post from the manufacturer of a product or some other third party, the arrangement will be clearly disclosed (including where the manufacturer of a product provides Costcuisine with a free sample of the product).
