Cretons

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In Québécois cuisine, cretons (Sometimes gorton or corton, especially among New Englanders of Quebecois origin) are a meat spread. It is made of ground pork, 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 Québécois breakfast.

Recipes vary, but traditional preparation involves covering one to three pounds of ground pork butt in milk or water in a large pot, then seasoning with onions and a mix of spices. The blend of spices varies from recipe to recipe, but nearly all include ground cloves. Other spices often used include cinnamon, allspice, ginger, nutmeg and bay leaf. Some recipes include minced garlic.

The mixture is simmered gently over low heat, and stirred often to prevent scorching until all the liquid is cooked off and the mixture is thick. It is then allowed to cool, then stirred again to incorporate all the rendered fat, and transferred to a large clean container or individual containers, covered tightly and refrigerated for several hours or overnight until firm.

There is a somewhat similar preparation that differs from cretons in that it is usually made from a mixture of pork and beef (though primarily pork) and the predominant seasoning is summer savory rather than clove. It is prepared and stored as cretons, but it is used as a meat dressing for fowl of various types. It is best with heartier fowl such as duck and goose, but goes equally well with turkey or roast chicken. This might be described as a type of "cretonnade", a dish similar to cretons, but including other meats and/or seasonings.