Pate Chinois (Shepherd's Pie)
about 35 minutes cook time
serves 4
350* oven
1 lb ground beef
1 medium onion
1 Tbsp oil plus 1 Tbsp butter or hard margarine
salt and pepper, to taste
1 or 2 (384ml, 14oz) cans of creamed corn (to taste – my mother always used just one, I use two)
mashed potatoes : about 5 medium sized potatoes, boiled and mashed with milk and butter (or mashed in your favourite way)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit.
Heat oil and butter/margarine in a large skillet or frying pan. Add onions and cook until clear, stirring frequently. Add the ground beef, cook until browned and no longer pink. Put into a 1.5 or 2 qt casserole dish. Pour the creamed corn over top of the beef. Drop the mash potatoes on top and cover bottom layer completely, sealing to the edge of the casserole dish. The potato topping should be about 1.5 to 2 inches thick.
Bake for about 35 minutes, until potatoes are turning golden and the corn is heated.
I always new how to make shepherds pie by memory cause it my favorite meal ever….but I didn’t remember what temp to cook it at….So I jumped online and Typed in Pate Chinois (Chinese Pie)silly eh..well I am partly french canadain and some of teh recieps were horrible…putting nut mega nd cinnamon…peas and carrots…? its
basicly
Onion Beef or ground roast beef cream corn and mashed or whipped potatoes…some garlic and cracked peppper toped with seasoning salt and butter
Amen
This is one of my favourites too. It’s such a simple thing to make, but everything about it is comfort food.
Thanks for visiting!
Megan
This is one of my favorite recipes from childhood at my Me Me and Pe Pe’s house. I live in California now and wanted to make it for my boyfriend. I too know the ingredients from memory but not the temperature for cooking. I was pleasantly surprised to google “french shepperds pie” and this was the first site to come up. I am 1/2 Canadian French, born and raised in Maine. I always new to say Pate Chinois if I wanted a good meal. 🙂
My mother made this frequently when I was young. You either love it or hate it. I’m in the latter group but am trying to find a version that might be more palatable to my adult taste. Peas are not an option and those spices sound more like tortiere. I’ll try it again one day soon.
We (here in Pensacola, Florida) had Chinese Pie last night — October 28, 2008. I made it from scratch including the mashed potatoes.
I grew up in Wilton, Maine. And one day in the early 1950s, when I was in the 4th grade, our school cafeteria served “Chinese Pie.” Nobody at home had ever heard of it. That evening I described it to my mother and she made it a few days later. It is usually served with green peas and for us the corn must be whole kernel, never cream-style. Although I am tempted next time…
From the Internet I learned last year that it had French-Canadian roots. A surprise for me as it seemed to be a very British kind of food.
Hi Ken – I did find an another old French Canadian recipe book that mentioned the connection to Maine. I’ll have to look into it further. I have had pate chinois with whole kernel corn, although as I said – my mother would think that was an abomination.
Amy – glad I was able to help.
Thanks for visiting!
Megan
There are people who don’t like pate chinois?? I had no idea. Martha, you’re right though, that the spices listed by Katherine are for a tourtiere, and have no place in this dish! I think Katherine agreed with that.
Pate chinois should be *simple* – it’s peasant food.
Hope you try it again sometime.
Meg
Hi Megan,
I live in Ocala FL now and I am originally from Quebec, my wife is from Mass. Most people in New England make there’s with whole Kernal corn because that was the only way they could get it in the early 20’s and it has stuck. So when I make it I have to make two seperate dishes, whole corn for the wife and creamed for myself.
It is so nice to see that someone has tried to keep it original indtead of trying to fancy it up with all the other junk.
i come from a Quebecois French/Maine family and I make this dish quite often for my family. I always knew it as Pate Chinois or Chinese pie, up until i worked for the New England supermarket, Shaw’s, where they call it “Shepherd’s Pie”. One of my favorites growing up, and still continues to be one of my favorite foods. I tend to spice it up, though, using “Italian seasoning” and garlic salt (or garlic powder) when i cook the hamburg. When in a rush, i sometimes use the garlic or cheese instant potatoes (both packets), and combine with 1 part creamed corn and one part whole kernel corn (to help with consistency, mix together before layering). Once you’ve layered the meat/corn/potato mixture, try sprinkling mozzarella cheese or even bacon bits on top before baking!
I love this dish, my father being French Canadian, taught my mother how to make this dish, always my favorite growing up. The only difference with my recipe is that we always bake it in a french loaf! We cut the top off the french loaf and scoop out the insides, layer the same way and add the top back on the bread, we bake it in the oven for approx 35 minutes and voila! mmm, comfort food at it’s best 🙂
Natalie – that’s a very cool and unique way to cook this! I can’t wait to give it a try.
As a child in middle school I was just enough snob that I didn’t want anyone to know that we ate food that my father ate during the Depression. His father was Indian from a tribe in Maine, and it was a staple food in his family. He taught my mother how to make it and I loved it. We called it Shepherd’s Pie. But if any of my friends would ask me what I had for supper, it was always Hamburg, Gravy, Mashed Potatoes and a veggie. Today I know Shepherd’s Pie is made with lamb and Cottage Pie is made with hamburg. Either way, I love it and served it to my kids as they were growing up. Easy to assemble, inexpensive, quick to make and delicious.
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TITLE: Eve
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DATE: 01/17/2013 03:03:07 AM
What’s Cooking?: Pate Chinois (French Canadian Shepherd’s Pie)