Tourtiere (Pork Pie) Recipe

Tourtiere is a French-Canandian pork pie which is traditionally served on Christmas eve after attending midnight mass. There are many variations but most believe that it originally was made from pork, game birds such as wild ducks, rabbits and venison.
Today it is mainly made with pork, garlic, mashed potato mixed in and celery.
My mum used to just make it with pork, a little herbs and puff pastry from the supermarket. As my dad loved anything made with pastry, it was always a popular pie in our house.
I have given the recipe here that my mum used to make but you can always experiment with adding a few other things to it if prefered.

INGREDIENTS:
375g pkt frozen puff pastry
500g pork mince
1 small brown onion - peeled and chopped
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon chopped herbs (if using dry just use about 3/4 teaspoon)
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon brandy
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
extra egg yolk - slightly beaten

METHOD:

Combine the pork mince, onion, egg yolk, herbs, brandy, salt and pepper and let stand for 1 hour to marinate.
Preheat oven to 220C or 210C if using a fan forced oven.
Heat butter in large frypan and brown the pork mixture over a high heat. Cook for a couple of minutes then remove from pan and set onto a large plate or dish to cool.
Divide the pastry in two and roll out one half to fit a 20cm (8 inche) circle. Glaze the edge of this with half the beaten egg yolk and place it onto a greased baking slide. (You can use a pie dish if you prefer but I like it made this way)
Mound the meat mixture onto the pastry, leaving a about 1cm or 1/2 inch around the edges free of any meat.
Roll out other half of pastry to form a 25cm (10 inch) circle. Decorate with the back of a knife in a swirling pattern for a nice effect and brush with egg yolk.
Bake your pie at 220C (or 210C fan forced) for 10 minutes then reduce oven to 180C and bake for another 35 minutes or until lovely and golden brown on top.
Can be served hot or cold with a lovely tossed salad.