Tourte Milanaise

I first tasted this life-changing pie this past summer at Dots, my favorite little cafe-deli in Lincolnville, Maine. The moment I set my eyes upon the colorful layers of all my favorite things nicely wrapped up in a flaky golden crust, I knew I needed a slice of THAT, whatever it was. It was a thing of great beauty. Dots calls their pie the Saturday Breakfast Tourte, because they only make it on Saturdays. And when I posted a photo of my beloved slice on Instagram, a friend mentioned that she recognized the recipe from one of Julia Childs cookbooks.

The prospect of an actual recipe for this marvelous creation excited me and I immediately tried to track it down. It took a bit of detective work because I didnt know what it was actually called, but once I found it, there was not doubt, this was that unforgettable pie: Tourte Milanaise!! It turns out, Julia Child did a whole episode on puff pastry, including a generous portion on Tourte Milanaise. You can see her guest Chef Michel Richard show the proper technique for making puff pastry. I love when Michel says, too bad you dont have the smell on television to which Julia immediately replies something about smell-o-vision. No wonder the world adores this woman. The episode is totally delightful and really worth a watch!

Now, full disclosure #1: I did not make my own puff pastry. Christmas is such a busy time of year and while I normally love to make everything from scratch, this pie does allow for a few shortcuts. If you dont have time to make your very own puff pastry, dont sweat it, its easy to find in the frozen section of your grocery store. You can also buy roasted red peppers in a jar and frozen spinach and no one will ever know the difference. There, now you really have no excuse not to make this!

Ok. Full disclosure #2: The original recipe calls for ham. But part of my new years resolutions (which Im starting in advance) is to not eat any meat thats been factory farmed. Im sticking to only local, pastured, and organic and when thats not available, vegetarian it will be! And since organic ham is impossible to find in my neck of the woods right now, I opted to leave it out altogether. Besides, my stepdad is vegetarian so this way, everyone will be able to eat this pie on Christmas morning. And honestly, the pie is still very decadent and every bit as delicious without the ham. So Im offering you the vegetarian version today, but if you wish, do add a nice layer or two of shaved ham to your pie.

May you enjoy all the delights that the holiday season has to offer. And be sure to check out my other Christmas recipe videos from previous years: my moms Baba au rum, my Kale and Sun-dried Tomato Strata, and traditional French Canadian Tourtière. Bon appétit!!

Aube is a passionate organic gardener and home cook who likes to share the stories of how food gets to our dinner plates. Her work has been shown on television and at international film festivals. Her web series has been nominated for multiple James Beard Awards for Best Video Webcast (On Location). In 2012, she was the recipient of Saveur Magazine's Best Food Blog award in the video category.