Does anyone make Craton?

[Mim18]

Does anyone make Craton? I guess it is a French Canadian recipe. I just had to ask, as this is a handy food for my schedule. I am ready to panic as my last container of it was polished off last week. Not to worry, I just picked up 3 pounds of ground beef and 1 pound of ground pork to make the next batch.

My first husband was French Canadian, and this was a recipe from his mother. The first husband is long gone, but I have continued to make this for 40 years. He loved it sliced and served on buttered toast, or sliced and put on sandwiches with mustard. It is also the base for a fantastic pork pie, or for a meat stuffing for turkey. I must admit that I wasn't overly impressed when I first had this ( 40 + years ago), but it grows on you. And of course that is why I have been making it for the past 40 years.

Now I make huge batches of this and freeze it in small containers - the ones that are about 4 1/2 inches by 2 1/2 inches. When thawed you can slice it cold for sandwiches, or just eat the slices plain, or the slices can be heated in the microwave. I must admit that a few slices of this is often the protein portion of my breakfast.

French Canadian Craton Recipe

3 pounds ground beef
1 pound ground pork

1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 onion chopped fine
1 tsp allspice
1 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp celery salt
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp ground cloves

Seasonings can be adjusted to your taste.

Put meat in big pot. Just cover with water. Add all spices. Simmer for 2-3 hours. Once in awhile use a potato masher to really mix spices with meat. After about 2-3 hours most of the fat will have cooked off. Skim any visible pools of fat from the top. Mix again. Let it cool a little bit. Fill the plastic containers and freeze for later use.

When thawed, I slice it and eat it cold, or I microwave it. The slices look sort of like meat loaf.

[MBombardier]

Sounds like a really good recipe! I'm going to try this.

[Mim18]

I visited my daughter yesterday. She had just recently made a 6 pound batch of Craton to freeze and have whenever. She gave a container to an older French Canadian man that was staying at the same campground where she is staying for the summer (while kitchen renovations are being made in her year round home). He said he liked it even better than what his sister makes (and she used his family recipe).

I will say it again, the flavors are different, and not everyone will like it, but for me it is a real comfort food (hot or cold). I just know that I can count on it to taste good, and not cause a flare up with my condition. I'd never be able to pack lunches every day without having this around.