Editor Tested: President’s Choice Grandpa’s Acadian Meat Pie

The third season of the CBC show “Recipe to Riches” is underway and with it a new lineup of delicious eats that will be available through select Loblaw banner stores.

The reality cooking competition sees home cooks pitting their beloved family recipes against one another in five categories for the chance to have their recipe turned into a President’s Choice product, plus a cash prize of $25,000 with a chance at a $250,000 cash prize at the show’s finale.

The third episode was a battle for savoury pie glory and saw Acadian grandpa and Welland, ON resident Alcide Desveaux’s Grandpa’s Acadian Meat Pie take the title of best savoury pie, beating out Don Chow’s Great Blasphemy Tourtiere and Sheena Thomas’ Enchilada Pie. The pie features a savoury filling of pork and chicken in a tender crust. Each package is 800g, serves four and retails for $9.99.

Our editors had the opportunity to taste test his winning recipe ahead of the show’s broadcast. Here’s what we thought.

Gilean: As a Maritimer, I’ve had many a homemade Acadian meat pie in my days, so I was a bit skeptical about how this boxed version would compare to the real deal. But when the steaming pie came into the office, I smelled home. The crust is flaky, the chicken and pork perfectly juicy and the spices are just right. I found the filling to be just a little too salty, but other than that, this dish is a winner! Overall rating: 9/10

Caitlin: I love pie in all its forms: savoury, fruity, quiche. You’ll never see me shy away from a pie, so I was very excited to test this week’s winning recipe. My dad baked a lot when I was growing up and I measure all pastry against his – and this Grandpa’s Acadian Meat Pie did not disappoint! It was tender, flaky and had just the perfect buttery texture. The filling of meat on meat was delicious, but a bit too salty for my tastes. I wish there was a quick-cook microwave option for this, instead of the hour it takes in the oven. Not ideal for busy weeknights when you want dinner on the table quickly. Served with a side salad or your veggie of choice, this could easily stretch to feed six people. Overall rating: 8/10.

Hilary: As a lover of savoury pies, I was hoping this East Coast-inspired dish wouldn’t disappoint – and it didn’t. Yum! The pie crust was perfectly flaky and the turkey/pork combination was just right. At $9.99, it’s a steal for dinner or a party. The only downside? It was a little salty, and takes about an hour to cook. Overall rating: 9/10.

You can catch “Recipe to Riches” Wednesday nights on CBC. The show will air for five weeks and after all category winners are chosen, Canadians can vote for their favourite recipe online at www.cbc.ca/recipetoriches/ from 8:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday, March 26, to 11:59 p.m. ET on Sunday, March 30. The finale will air April 2.

You can check out our review of episode one’s winning recipe here and episode two’s winner here.