Country Pate Gourmet Group Recipes

CHEF JOHN'S PATE DE CAMPAGNE

Steps:

• Combine cloves, nutmeg, ginger, and cayenne pepper in a small bowl to make spice mixture.
• Place pork shoulder, duck meat, chopped bacon, chicken livers, onion, shallot, parsley, cognac, salt, garlic, pepper, 3/4 teaspoon spice mixture, and pink curing salt in a large bowl. Mix thoroughly until evenly distributed. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate about 2 hours.
• Whisk cream, bread crumbs, and eggs together in a bowl.
• Transfer pork mixture to a rimmed baking sheet lined with a silicone mat or parchment. Freeze for 15 to 20 minutes to facilitate grinding the meat.
• Grind pork mixture into a bowl using the meat-grinder attachment of a stand mixer. Add dried cherries and pistachios. Add the cream mixture; fold gently until just combined.
• Arrange bacon strips crosswise in a 9x5-inch loaf pan, letting ends hang over the edges of the pan. Trim some strips to fit the ends of the pan.
• Fill pan to the top with the ground pork mixture; smooth the top. Cover surface with strips of bacon. Fold side bacon piece edges over the top. Cover with a piece of parchment cut to fit the top of the pan; wrap tightly with heavy duty aluminum foil.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Transfer pan to a deep pot or Dutch oven. Pour in hot tap water to reach 1/2 to 2/3 of the way up the side of the pan. Cover.
• Bake in the preheated oven until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center reads 155 degrees F (68 degrees C), 1 3/4 to 2 hours.
• Transfer pan to a paper-towel lined surface to absorb any moisture. If mixture has risen above the top edge of the pan, press it down with a heavy pan. Remove the aluminum foil, leaving the parchment paper on top. Transfer pan to a paper-towel-lined baking dish. Cut a piece of cardboard to be slightly smaller than the top of the pan. Wrap with aluminum foil and place on the parchment paper. Press down with weights like canned food.
• Refrigerate at least 8 hours to chill and compress the pate.
• To unmold the pate, pour very hot water into a large bowl. Dip mold into hot water for 1 to 2 seconds. Turn out onto a paper-towel-lined dish; chill again before slicing.

FRENCH-STYLE COUNTRY PâTé

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter the inside of an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 2 1/2-inch loaf pan and set aside.
• Saute the onions in the butter until they are translucent and tender. Set aside to cool. Place the chicken livers into a food processor and pulse until well ground.
• In a large bowl, place all of the ingredients, including the onions and chicken livers, and mix together until all of the ingredients are well incorporated. Turn the mixture into the loaf pan and pack well. Cover the pan with a piece of waxed paper and foil. Set the loaf pan into another larger pan. Pour boiling water into the larger pan, and then bake for 1 1/4 to 2 hours, or until the juices are a clear pale yellow and the internal temperature reaches 170 degrees F. (Mine took 2 hours.)
• Remove the loaf pan from the larger water bath. Pour out the water from the larger pan and then set the loaf pan back in. Place a board or another pan directly on top of the covered pâté, and then weigh it down with a 5-pound weight. (Canned goods worked for me.) Be careful because some of the juices may spill out of the loaf pan, but this step is necessary to create a compact and dense pâté. Let the pâté sit at room temperature until it cools, and then place it, weights and all, into the refrigerator to chill.
• Allow the pâté to chill for at least a day before serving to develop the flavor.

COUNTRY PATE

Steps:

• Trim veal or chicken and pork of excess fat and tendons.Cut into 1" cubes & pass through a meat grinder. Transfer to a large bowl. Stir in salt, pepper & applejack. Cover the pate and refrigerate 1-3 days. Remove and heat oil in a medium skillet over high heat. Sauté livers until well browned, about 1 min per side. Remove from pan and set aside to cool. Add garlic and cook about 1/2 min, being careful not to let it color. Reserve garlic with liver. Add brandy and bay leaves to skillet. Scrape bottom of pan to loosen brown bits & cook over low heat until warm, about 5 mins. Set aside to cool and remove and discard bay leaves. Dip white bread in warm water to soften. Squeeze out excess moisture. Add to the liver and garlic along with 2 C. marinated ground meat, allspice, nutmeg & brandy and stir. Transfer to a food processor, add eggs, and puree until a smooth paste is formed. Place puree in a large bowl, add remaining ground meat, and combine. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line a 9x5x3" glass loaf pan with bacon slices so they overhang lengthwise, about 3". Slice ham and tongue into 4x1/2x1/2" julienne strips. Spread about a cup of pate evenly over the bacon to cover the bottom. Arrange alternating strips of ham and tongue lengthwise, over the pate. Repeat this procedure. Fold overhanging bacon over the top. Tap pan against a counter to firmly pack. Garnish top with bay leaves & garlic cloves. Cover with foil, tucking edges under. Place inside a larger pan & pour in boiling water until it rises halfway up the sides of the pate. Bake 2 hrs 15 mins. Cool. Place cooled pate on a baking sheet & cover with another baking sheet. Top with 3 lbs of weights & refrigerate. To loosen, dip pan's bottom in warm water and run a knife along inside edges. Invert onto a serving platter.

COUNTRY LIVER PATE

Steps:

• 1. In skillet over medium high heat, melt 1/4 cup butter, may add more as needed, stir in livers, mushrooms, onions, salt and garlic. Try not to use over orginal 1/4 cup
• 2. Cook till livers are lightly browned, but still light pink inside. Stir in wine and hot sauce, cover and simmer 5 minutes. Cool to warm.
• 3. In covered blender at medium speed, blend mixture and 1/2 cup butter till smooth, stopping and scraping sides. (mixture will be thin)
• 4. Pour into a 3 cup container, cover and refrigerate for 3-4 hours or till firm. Serve with assorted crackers and cbheese.