Herbed Pork Pate Recipes

CRETON - CANADIAN PORK PATE

Steps:

• Put all ingredients into a pan, mash together with a potato masher & simmer on low heat for 2 3/4 - 3 hours. If it needs more liquid to cook that long, add more liquid. Do not let it get dry and stick to the bottom of the pan. Stir occasionally. After most of the liquid (2 3/4 - 3 hours) has evaporated, remove bay leaf and beat well with an electric mixer. Pour into a bowl and refrigerate to chill. Serve chilled on a good bread, toasted if you like.
• Note: if your ground pork is lean you will need to add an entire pound of the sausage. It needs the fat to make a pate. You will obviously need to add a little more liquid if you use a whole pound of sausage.

PATE WITH PISTACHIOS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
• Cut pork and veal into cubes and set aside.
• Cut ham into 1/2-inch cubes. There should be about 2 cups. Set aside.
• Carefully trim chicken livers. Cut off and discard any connecting membranes.
• Heat butter in a heavy skillet and add shallots. Cook briefly, stirring. Add chicken livers and sprinkle with thyme and bay leaf. Cook about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Put cubed veal into the container of a food processor or electric blender and blend slightly finer than store-bought hamburger. Empty veal into a mixing bowl.
• Put pork into the container of a food processor or electric blender and blend a little coarser than store-bought hamburger. Add pork to veal.
• Put liver mixture into the container of a food processor or electric blender and blend as finely as possible. Pour and scrape this into the bowl with ham and veal. Add the reserved two cups of cubed ham and the pistachios. Add allspice, cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, cayenne, wine, salt and pepper and blend well with fingers. To test mixture for seasoning, shape a small portion of the mixture into a patty and cook, turning once, in nonstick skillet until cooked through. Taste the patty and add more seasonings as desired.
• Pack the mixture into a 5- or 6-cup loaf pan. Smooth over the top, rounding it slightly. Place bacon slices on top. Cover closely with foil and place pate in a heatproof baking dish. Set the dish on the stove and pour boiling water around loaf pan. Bring the water to the boil. Place the pate in the water bath in the oven and bake 45 minutes or to an internal temperature (using meat thermometer) of 150 degrees. Remove pate from oven and let stand until ready to serve.
• This pate is excellent hot or cold. Cut it crosswise into slices and serve.

RUSTIC FRENCH PORK AND CHICKEN PâTé

Steps:

• Make sure the meat is quite cold, then cut it in 1-inch strips. Grind .75 of the pork shoulder and chicken, plus half the pancetta, to a medium grind. (Or have your butcher do the grinding for you.)
• Grind the remaining pork, chicken and pancetta to a coarse grind, or cut by hand with a sharp knife into small cubes about 1/8 inch.
• Combine all the meat in a large bowl. Add the salt, garlic, sage and thyme. Pour the wine and Cognac over it, then knead seasonings into the mixture with a wooden spoon, your hands or the paddle attachment of a stand mixer.
• In a spice mill or mortar, grind the peppercorns, coriander seeds, fennel seeds and cloves to a fine powder. Add to the mixture, along with nutmeg, cinnamon and cayenne. Mix again.
• Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Pat the seasoned pate; mixture into a 2.5-quart loaf pan. Press the bay leaf on the surface, then cover the pan tightly with foil. (Refrigerate overnight if desired; bring to room temperature before baking.) Place in a deep-sided roasting pan and add hot water to reach half way up the dish. Bake on the middle shelf for about an hour, or until the internal temperature of the pate is 160 degrees.
• Carefully remove from the oven and cool in the loaf pan, then wrap well and refrigerate for at least 24 hours before serving. Keeps a week or more.

PORK AND PISTACHIO PATE

Steps:

• Place all ingredients except salt and pistachio nuts in bowl of food processor and process until smooth. Wrap 1 teaspoon of mixture in microwave plastic wrap. Cook at 100 percent power in a 650- to 700- watt oven for 45 seconds. Remove from oven and uncover. Taste for saltiness and add salt to mixture if desired.
• Scrape pate mixture into a bowl and stir in pistachio nuts. Transfer to a glass or ceramic loaf pan, 9 by 5 by 3 inches, that either has a nonstick surface or has been sprayed with nonstick vegetable spray. Smooth out surface with a spatula. Cover pan with microwave plastic wrap. Cook at 100 percent power for 12 minutes. Prick plastic to release steam.
• Remove from oven and uncover. Cut a piece of cardboard to just fit the loaf pan and cover with aluminum foil. Place over pate in pan. Refrigerate with 2 or 3 heavy cans on top overnight.
• Run a thin knife around the inside edge of pan to loosen pate. Invert onto a serving plate.