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    Home / Dinner / Cipâte

    Cipâte

    Cipate recipe: a towering, multi-layered meat pie of pastry, pork and root vegetables from Quebec’s Bas-du-Fleuve region – sliced like a cake at family feasts.

    ⏱ 15 minPrep time
    🔥 30 minCook time
    🍽 4Servings
    🏷 DinnerCategory
    ☆☆☆☆☆No ratings yet
    Cipâte québécois, tall layered meat pie with flaky pastry, pork, beef, potatoes and onions

    Cipâte (also spelled cipaille or sea pie) is the grand old pie of Quebec’s Bas-du-Fleuve and the Acadian regions, where families stacked pastry and layers of game meat, potatoes, and onions in a deep pot and baked it slowly for hours. The name is thought to come from ‘sea pie,’ the layered meat pie English sailors carried aboard ship — a recipe that crossed cultures on the shores of the St. Lawrence.

    What makes it great is the drama of it: a tall, golden pie that slices into beautiful layers of flaky pastry, savory meat (traditionally game, but pork and beef work beautifully), and tender vegetables, all bound with a rich broth. It’s a showstopper for a big family dinner, and leftovers — should there be any — are legendary.

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    Step by stepInstructions

    1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and butter a deep 10-inch Dutch oven or casserole dish.
    2. Roll out the pastry and line the bottom of the dish with a layer, then add a layer of meat, then a layer of potatoes, onion, and carrots, seasoning each layer with savory, salt, and pepper.
    3. Repeat the layers of pastry, meat, and vegetables until the dish is nearly full, finishing with a top crust that seals the pie completely.
    4. Cut a small hole in the center of the top crust and pour the broth through it, then dot the top with butter.
    5. Bake covered for 1 hour, then uncover and bake for 30 to 45 minutes more, until the crust is golden and the filling is bubbling.
    6. Let the cipâte rest for 15 minutes, then slice it into wedges and serve with a ladle of the rich juices.

    💡 Chef tips & storage

    Layer pastry, meat, and vegetables like a lasagna in a deep dish, finishing with pastry on top. The broth is essential — it steams and cooks the layers while keeping the pie moist. Rest it 15 minutes before slicing into wedges like a cake.

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    Recipe details

    Prep15 min
    Cook30 min
    Servings4
    CategoryDinner
    PublishedAugust 17, 2026
    Emily — the cook behind My Comfort Recipes

    Hi, I'm Emily 🧡

    Hi, I'm Emily — the cook behind My Comfort Recipes. Simple, tested comfort food for real weeknights, written down the way grandma would. Pull up a chair. More about me →

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