Conton / Creton French Canadian Pork Spread Recipe on Food52 (2024)

Cast Iron

by: Roger Dube

January23,2018

5

7 Ratings

  • Prep time 1 hour
  • Cook time 4 hours
  • Makes Approx. 4 Cups
Author Notes

This recipe comes from my Paternal Grandmother. My Grandparents were from Canada, and, growing up, I could barely understand their English LOL. However, the second MOST amazing recipe I learned from Grams was Conton. The FIRST was her Tortiere (which is here as well). Now I know there are different spellings, as many as the recipes, but This is hers.....with a few tweeks. Ya see, they didn't have much, and used spices sparingly. According to my Parents and other Relatives from that side.....she would have been honored. So...I hope you try, and enjoy!!! PLEASE forgive the photo....I still follow my Grandparents' way of THRIFT! —Roger Dube

What You'll Need

Ingredients
  • 2 poundsGround Pork Butts (pre-ground or grind your own)
  • 4 tablespoonsLard
  • 1 cupWater
  • 1 teaspoonGround Clove
  • 1 teaspoonGround Cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoonGround Allspice
  • 1/2 teaspoonSalt
  • 1/2 teaspoonFreshly Ground Pepper
Directions
  1. If you grind your own pork butt, grind twice. In the mean-time, melt the lard and let cool to room temp.
  2. Add water and lard to 3qt pan and heat on low. Add ground pork and spices and mix thoroughly.
  3. ***Now...here's a little glitch....IF you're working on a gas stove, place some kind of heat diffuser over the flame. I use a cast iron skillet. This prevents frying on the bottom. Electric stoves....just be gentle.
  4. Simmer, stirring and breaking up the pork. You MUST use your discretion on this. Once the pink of the pork is gone and the fat and liquid are level with the meat, lower the heat AND if it seems to 'chunky', hit it with a stick blender until you get the consistency you like.
  5. Simmer for 30 more minutes. Then, take a teaspoon of the mix, put it on a saucer and chuck it in the freezer for about 5 minutes. After which, take it out and taste it. If not enough spice, adjust and give it another 20 min. If good, ladle into 1 cup containers and let cool.
  6. MAKE SURE YOU STIR BEFORE AND AFTER EACH LADLING......ya gotta have the little skim of fat on the top!!
  7. With my taste, for this recipe, the total spices, except for salt, were doubled.
  8. Had to add times....prep and cook times will VARY

Tags:

  • Canadian
  • Pork
  • Cast Iron
  • Winter
  • Breakfast
  • Appetizer

See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • Roger Dube

  • Kateyes

  • J.LaRoche

  • [emailprotected]

Popular on Food52

6 Reviews

Kateyes February 4, 2023

When I was young my mom cooked this and I'm glad I found it so I can make my own 💗

J.LaRoche January 17, 2021

I just had to comment on your recipe. It is almost exactly the same as my dear mom's. You even call it the same conton. The only difference is that my mom added nutmeg and bells seasoning or sage if she didn't have any bells handy and all spices were to taste she never measured. But thanks for posting I enjoyed seeing your recipe and the way you called it conton. Keep cooking and sharing.

Roger D. January 18, 2021

I tried sage once, made it taste like breakfast sausage and Conton, to me, shouldn't. Never tried nutmeg.

[emailprotected] December 25, 2020

Very good recipe! My husband grew up with this on special holidays with his French-Canadian grandmothers. When we got married, I asked my new mother-in-law for the recipe, and it tasted like poison! Yikes! (WAY too much lard and spices.) This ratio of spices and lard are perfect! My hubby's family always added a chopped onion to theirs at the beginning of the cook, and that's the only change I made to this recipe. This started off his Christmas morning with a big, satisfied smile! Thanks, Roger!

Roger D. December 25, 2020

Was this TODAY??? How awesome that I could share some happiness!! My Canadian Gram only used onion in hers when she made a Tourtiere, but it sounds wonderful. My Gram's recipe for Tourtiere is here too...."Mamere's Tourtiere". SO glad you and your hubby enjoyed....Joyeux Noel!

Roger D. December 25, 2020

BTW, spices are always "to taste"......a little extra lard/fat nowadays is a given....lol

Conton / Creton French Canadian Pork Spread Recipe on Food52 (2024)

FAQs

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 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.

What is a cretons in English? ›

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.

Is Creton the same as head cheese? ›

Due to its fatty texture and taste, it resembles French rillettes. Cretons are usually served on toast as part of a traditional Quebec breakfast. It is not to be confused with "fromage de tête" (tête fromagée in Quebec) or head cheese.

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.

How long does Creton last in the fridge? ›

Cretons: 2-4 days.

Why is pâté so expensive? ›

Often artisanal pâté is made with locally sourced ingredients, with meat and fat from small farms instead of large corporations. The practices the company adheres to can drastically influence the price of the final product, creating a rather large gap between mass-market production and artisanal product.

Can you freeze Creton? ›

Place cretons in small bowls. Keep in refrigerator or freeze.

What is traditional French Canadian food? ›

Poutine is arguably the most famous Québécois dish. The classic poutine is composed of fresh French fries and fresh cheese curds topped with hot brown gravy in a shallow bowl. The cheese curds are usually at room temperature to prevent them from melting and losing their elasticity or "squeakiness".

Who invented cretons? ›

In 1940, Marius Barbeau, who was a famous Canadian ethnographer and folklorist, described how the recipe had its origins in the monasteries of the lower St. Lawrence River valley. One Father Wright, at the Collége de Sainte-Anne de la Pocatiére, had a reputation for making excellent cretons.

What does the word cretan mean in English? ›

Definition of 'Cretan'

1. of or pertaining to the island of Crete or its inhabitants. noun. 2. a native or inhabitant of Crete.

What is foie in English? ›

noun. : the fatted liver of an animal and especially of a goose usually served as a pâté See the full definition.

What part of the pig is souse meat? ›

Souse features meat from various parts of the pig, including the feet, the head, the ears, and the tail. However, various parts from cows and chickens can also be used.

What is scrapple made of? ›

Scrapple is a dish made from scraps of pork meat, usually trimming, combined with cornmeal and spices. The individual ingredients are cooked separately and then put together in a loaf pan to chill. When the loaf forms, it's sliced and served.

What is head cheese called in France? ›

France and Belgium: In French, it is referred to as fromage de tête, tête pressée, tête fromagée (which translates as "cheesed head") or pâté de tête.

What does it mean to call someone a Cretan? ›

2. informal : a stupid, vulgar, or insensitive person : clod, lout.

What does cretonne mean? ›

cre·​tonne ˈkrē-ˌtän kri-ˈtän. : a strong cotton or linen cloth used especially for curtains and upholstery.

What is the Old French word for chicken? ›

From Old French poulet.

How do you say beef in Old French? ›

Etymology. From Middle English beef, bef, beof, borrowed from Anglo-Norman beof, Old French buef, boef (“ox”) (modern French bœuf); from Latin bōs (“ox”), from Proto-Italic *gʷōs, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gʷṓws.

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