Ethan Frome, by Edith Wharton, takes place in rural Massachusetts in the freezing depths of winter. Poverty and despair are matched with a forbidden love affair and subsequent tragedy. It’s not a feel good novella, but it does capture a moment in time when even a simple meal is a welcome indulgence.
She set the lamp on the table, and he saw that it was carefully laid for supper, with fresh doughnuts, stewed blueberries and his favourite pickles in a dish of gay red glass.
Along with those pickles and donuts a meat pie is served and it has taken me to memories of my mother’s Vermont farmer, French Canadian/Acadian ancestors and their tourtière. The sweet pickles, not the typical catsup or piccalilli relish, must have been bread and butter pickles. I am surprised by the donuts and will assume they are of the cider variety.
On a recent snowy day here in the Berkshires having finished Ethan Frome for the second time, I gathered the ingredients for that tourtière and got to cooking. Typically it is made with ground pork and beef, chopped onion, warm spices like cinnamon and nutmeg and mashed potato. I prefer the stronger flavor of ground lamb and rural New England has plenty of local purveyors. I made a savory pie dough from butter, flour and dried herbs.
Then grated the onion and a carrot so it would melt into the meat mixture. Instead of mashed potato, which tend to dilute the flavor of the filling, I boiled and chopped a few small Yukon gold potatoes to add texture.
I chose cumin, flaked red pepper, oregano and just a hint of cinnamon and allspice which are all well suited for the ground lamb.
Ethan Frome Pie
Ingredients
Meat Filling
- 1 pound ground lamb
- 1 medium yellow onion (grated)
- 1 large carrot (grated)
- 2 tbsps ground cumin
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1/4 tsp ground allspice
- 2 small Yukon Gold Potatoes (boiled, cooled and cubed)
- 1 tsp salt
- Pepper to taste
Pie Crust
- 1/2 cup cold butter cut into small cubes
- 1/4 cup Crisco (lard, duck fat, or bacon fat also work)
- 2 cups All purpose flour
- 4-8 tbsp Ice cold water
- 2 tbsp herbs de Provence (or a combination of oregano, sage and rosemary)
Instructions
- Cook the ground lamb, onion and carrot over medium heat until the meat has lost it’s pink color. Add some olive oil or butter if the lamb is sticking to the pan.Add the cumin, cinnamon, allspice and salt and pepper to taste.Let cool.
While filling is cooling…
- Mix the two cups of flour with the butter and shortening using two butter knives or a pastry cutter until the flour looks like sand and the fat is well incorporated.Add the two tablespoons of herbs de Provence and mix.
- Add 4 tablespoons of the ice water and using a fork to combine the dough add more water until it forms a ball and the dough hold together.
Assemble the Pie
- Cut the dough into two equal parts. Using a rolling pin on a floured surface roll out the bottom layer and place into the pie dish.
- Pour the cooled filling into the pie and spread evenly. Distribute the cooked Yukon Gold potatoes evenly.
- Roll out the other half of the dough and crimp using your fingers or a fork. Slice vents in the top of the pie – be creative!Bake at 400F degrees for about 30 minutes or until golden brown
