Here's a twist on the traditional tourtiere recipe. Ground beef replaces pork, and cream cheese pastry takes the place of pie pastry. The filled mini cups make a melt-in-your-mouth addition to a buffet. —Cheryl Bruneau, Winnipeg, Manitoba
Ingredients
1/2 cup butter
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
FILLING:
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 pound lean ground beef (90% lean)
1 medium onion, minced
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon dried savory or sage
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon celery salt
Dash salt
Dash pepper
1/2 cup soft bread crumbs
Optional: Chopped tomatoes and additional minced fresh parsley
Instructions
1Cream butter and cream cheese. Add flour, a little at a time, until a dough forms. Shape into a ball. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour.
2Meanwhile for filling, heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add ground beef and onion; cook, crumbling meat, until beef is no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Add garlic; cook 1 minute more. Add the next 8 ingredients. Stir in bread crumbs to absorb meat juices. Let stand about 10 minutes.
3On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/8-in. thickness. Cut with a floured 2-3/4-in. round biscuit or cookie cutter. Press crust on bottom and up sides of 30 ungreased mini-muffin cups, rerolling dough as needed.
4Preheat oven to 375°. Spoon 1 tablespoon filling into each prepared muffin cup. Bake until crust is golden, about 15 minutes. If desired, top with tomatoes and parsley.
