Creton Maison Recipe - A Popular Québécois Meat Spread! | Club Foody (2024)

Read on Mobile Enter Reading Mode

Author: Francine Lizotte

Jump to Recipe

Posted on

by Francine Lizotte

  • appetizer
  • breakfast
  • brunch
  • Canada
  • creton maison
  • homemade creton
  • lunch food
  • meat spread
  • meat spread for lunch
  • pork spread
  • province of Québec
  • québec
  • Québécois cuisine
  • traditional québécois dish
  • Appetizers
  • Canadian cuisine
  • Hors d'Oeuvres/Antipasto/Canapés/Dips/
  • International
  • Low Sodium
  • Pork
  • Québécois cuisine
  • Sandwiches

Creton Maison Recipe - A Popular Québécois Meat Spread! | Club Foody (2)

I’m originally from Montréal and as a young woman I moved to Toronto and spent the biggest part of my life living there. Every time I went back to Québec visiting family and friends, I wanted to satisfy some of my food cravings… let me explain.

The Province of Québec is mostly French speaking and the culture is quite different from the rest of the country which is English. When it comes to food, Québécois cuisine is noticeably distinct from other provinces although the differences today seem much less apparent than they were in the 80s.

Back to my cravings…
When planning a trip to Montréal, I usually had a list of food that I was looking forward to enjoying again. Life was busy and I couldn’t go back to Montréal for several years and this gave me the idea that I should start making my own Québécois cuisine. Now that I live on the West Coast, I’m glad I took the initiative of making the favorite dishes that I grew up with and can enjoy them whenever I have the craving.

What I am sharing with you today is Creton Maison which is a typical Québécois dish served mostly for breakfast. It’s a meat-spread/pâté people enjoy on toast, croissants or bagels with yellow mustard. It’s obviously not your typical toast and jam fare and definitely a different way to enjoy the first meal of the day. You can also enjoy it for lunch between slices of bread, pita or tortillas with tomatoes, lettuce and of course yellow mustard.

It’s definitely cheaper to make this Creton at home than to fly to Montréal or Québec City and enjoy it at a local restaurant. I hope you give this Québécois breakfast classic a try soon… you won’t be disappointed! Now if you’re looking for a great pâté recipe, take a look at my Cognac Chicken Liver Pâté!
Bon Appétit!

Here are more delicious Québécois recipes for you to try…
Perfect Poutine with Bacon Gravy
Tourtière (meat pie)
Squash à la Canadienne

Old-Fashioned Baked Beans with Bacon

and for more pork recipes, click on this link… Recipe Category • Pork



Don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel by clicking on this link… Club Foody YouTube

Creton Maison Recipe - A Popular Québécois Meat Spread! | Club Foody (3)

Creton Maison

Try this delicious traditional Québécois meat spread called Creton on toast, in a sandwich or on your favorite cracker or bread.

5 from 3 votes

Creton Maison Recipe - A Popular Québécois Meat Spread! | Club Foody (4)Add to Favorites

Leave a Comment

Servings 8

Hover to scale

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Passive time 0 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Ingredients

  • 1 lb. lean ground pork
  • 1 cup white onions, chopped
  • 2 large cloves garlic, minced
  • 2-3 large green onions (white tips only), sliced
  • 1/2 cup celery, finely chopped
  • 1/2 tsp. mixed spice - épices mélangées see Recipe
  • 1 pinch ground Himalayan sea salt
  • freshly ground black pepper, to taste (I always use mixed peppercorns)
  • 1 tsp. oatmeal Footnote #1
  • 1 tbsp. 35% heavy cream, or to desired consistency Footnote #2

Directions

  • In a medium pot, add pork, onions, garlic, green onions, celery, mixed spices, salt and black pepper; cover mixture with water. Cook, uncovered, over medium heat for 1 to 1 ¼ hours; stir occasionally.

  • Halfway through cooking, add oatmeal and stir well.

  • About ½ hour before the end of cooking, start whisking the mixture using either a whisk or potato masher. Add a little cream at a time until smooth.

  • When the time is up, using an immersion blender, smooth out the creton to desired consistency; taste and adjust seasoning if needed.

  • Before freezing, put a paper towel on top. When thawing it out, put container upside down so the paper towel can absorb the extra liquid from the creton.

Notes

Footnote #1: Add cloves if desired and substitute breadcrumbs for oatmeal.

Footnote #2: Slowly add heavy cream by the tablespoonful until the desired consistency is reached. It usually doesn't need more than 3 tbsp.

Don't forget to rate and comment on this recipe!

Creton Maison Recipe - A Popular Québécois Meat Spread! | Club Foody (2024)

FAQs

What is Quebec Creton made of? ›

cretons, a cold pork spread with a texture that varies from smooth to chunky. The pâté-like dish is common in the cuisine of Quebec and first gained popularity with French Canadians. It is made by cooking ground pork and pork fat with water or milk, bread crumbs, onions, and spices.

How long do cretons last in the fridge? ›

Cooked meats: 3-4 days. Confit meats: 2-4 days. Cretons: 2-4 days.

What does Creton mean in French? ›

The link, linguistically, appears to be to the medieval French word creton, which according to the online Dictionnaire du Moyen Français (1330-1500) means 'morceau de panne de porc frite', that is, 'small piece of fried pork fat'. If you fry a piece or pieces of pig fat, you get something akin to pork cracklings.

Is Creton healthy? ›

"Creton is a french-canadian specialty; this type of "pork pate" is certainly not healthy, but really delicious! I like it spread on toast or crackers, along with hot mustard. Many in Quebec eat it at breakfast.

What is traditional Quebec food? ›

Québec is home to many unique dishes and is most famous for its poutine, tourtières, pâté chinois, pea soup, fèves au lard, cretons and desserts such as grands-pères, pouding chômeur and St. Catherine's taffy.

What does Creton mean in English? ›

(krɛtɑ̃ ) plural noun. Canadian. a spread of shredded pork cooked with onions in pork fat.

What is the shelf life of Creton? ›

Creton should be refrigerated. Its shelf life in the refrigerator is three weeks. It freezes well for several months.

Can Creton be frozen? ›

Keep in refrigerator or freeze.

What is the history of cretons? ›

Originally, cretons were made from leaf fat, which is the fat obtained from the abdominal cavity of a pork carcass. When a pig was slaughtered, the panné (leaf lard) that covered the ribs could be pulled off in one piece. It would be put in the oven with salt and pepper until crispy.

How do you say steak in French? ›

bifteck m. He ordered a steak at the restaurant. Il a commandé un bifteck au restaurant.

How do you say beef in Old French? ›

Among those descendants is the Latin word bōs, "cow," whose stem form, bov-, eventually became the Old French word buef, the source of English beef.

What is the unhealthiest meat? ›

You have probably heard it many times already: don't eat too much red meat or processed foods. But research shows processed red meats, like bacon, hot dogs, and salami are the biggest problem.

What does Creton taste like? ›

In Quebec cuisine, cretons (sometimes gorton or corton, especially among New Englanders of Quebec origin) is a pork spread containing onions and spices. Due to its fatty texture and taste, it resembles French rillettes. Cretons are usually served on toast as part of a traditional Quebec breakfast.

How long is Creton good for? ›

Instruction: Thaw in refrigerator for 24 hours, once thawed keep refrigerated for consumption for 7 days.

What was the original meat in Tourtière? ›

It gets its name from the tourte, which is what it was originally made from. Though the name "tourtière" is derived from its filling, the tourte—the French name for the passenger pigeon that is now extinct in North America—was historically used as its filling before the 20th century.

Is Creton head cheese? ›

Cretons are usually served on toast as part of a traditional Quebec breakfast. Not to be confused with "fromage de tête" (tête fromagée in Quebec) or head cheese. From Me, Creton was a comfort food that I grew up with after moving to a small town outside Montreal Quebec called St.

Is Creton the same as pâté? ›

Cretons is a French-Canadian pork pâté and is sometimes known as Gortons around New England. This mildly spiced pork spread is popular in Quebec and areas of New England. It's delicious served on crostini bread and makes the perfect accompaniment to a charcuterie board.

References

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Rev. Leonie Wyman

Last Updated:

Views: 6352

Rating: 4.9 / 5 (59 voted)

Reviews: 90% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Rev. Leonie Wyman

Birthday: 1993-07-01

Address: Suite 763 6272 Lang Bypass, New Xochitlport, VT 72704-3308

Phone: +22014484519944

Job: Banking Officer

Hobby: Sailing, Gaming, Basketball, Calligraphy, Mycology, Astronomy, Juggling

Introduction: My name is Rev. Leonie Wyman, I am a colorful, tasty, splendid, fair, witty, gorgeous, splendid person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.