The last time we were in Paris (I love the way that sounds!), we had lunch at a restaurant famous for it's Onion Soup. Au Pied de Cochon is within sight of Les Halles if I recall correctly. And the soup was good. But as is often the case, it isn't the soup that has made that meal one of my favorites. It was the little pot of pork spread that was on the table, like we would offer olive oil or butter.
And was it good! I don't know what all was in this delicious, soft, porky, spread but it was worth every calorie. For a while I mistakenly thought I had been feasting on pate, but now I'm better educated and know that it was pork rillettes that I was feasting on. But that's what got me interested in trying to make pate or rillettes myself.
So, for this year's New Year's Eve feast I decided that I would give pate a try. I didn't have the darling little crocks needed for rillettes, and I was afraid I would have so much of the stuff that it would never be eaten. I did a lot of research, and decided that the kind of pate I wanted to make was a country-style pork pate. I looked at a lot of recipes, and finally settled on this one, which I modified and cut in half.
Post dinner report: The pate was a huge hit! Although it was risky to make something for the first time for the dinner, it was a success. Delicious!
Country Style Pork Pate
And was it good! I don't know what all was in this delicious, soft, porky, spread but it was worth every calorie. For a while I mistakenly thought I had been feasting on pate, but now I'm better educated and know that it was pork rillettes that I was feasting on. But that's what got me interested in trying to make pate or rillettes myself.
So, for this year's New Year's Eve feast I decided that I would give pate a try. I didn't have the darling little crocks needed for rillettes, and I was afraid I would have so much of the stuff that it would never be eaten. I did a lot of research, and decided that the kind of pate I wanted to make was a country-style pork pate. I looked at a lot of recipes, and finally settled on this one, which I modified and cut in half.
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| Out of the pan, ready to cut |
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| Charcuterie Plate 2013! |
Post dinner report: The pate was a huge hit! Although it was risky to make something for the first time for the dinner, it was a success. Delicious!
Country Style Pork Pate
Makes about a small loaf
1 tablespoons unsalted butter
2large shallots, minced
3/4 pounds ground pork
1/4 pound pork shoulder, cut by hand into small pieces.
8 slices of bacon, 2 chopped into small pieces and the others left whole
2 chicken livers, rinsed, patted dry, trimmed, and cut into ½‐inch pieces
1 large egg
1/4 cup cognac
1/6 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoons minced fresh thyme
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
⅛ teaspoon ground ginger
3/8 cup shelled pistachios, toasted and chopped coarse
3 fresh bay leaves
1. Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Bring kettle of water to boil.
2. Melt butter in 10-inch skillet over medium heat. add shallots and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.
3. Mix pork, chopped bacon, and chicken livers together in large bowl until thoroughly combined. In separate bowl, beat eggs, cognac, and cream together with fork until combined, then stir in thyme, garlic, salt, pepper, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger. Add egg mixture, softened shallots, pistachios, and peppercorns to meat mixture and mix with your hands until thoroughly combined.
4. Arrange bay leaves, bright green side down, in the loaf pan. Line pan with bacon slices. Transfer pâté mixture to bacon-lined pan, using hands to press mixture firmly into pan (pan will be very full). Fold bacon slices over mixture and cover tightly with aluminum foil.
5. Place pan in 13 by 9-inch baking dish and transfer to oven. Pour boiling water into baking dish until it comes halfway up sides of pan. Bake pâté until it registers 165 degrees, about 1.5 hours.
6. Remove pan from baking dish and transfer to rimmed baking sheet. Place heavy skillet or small baking dish filled with heavy cans on top of pâté to weigh down. Let cool at room temperature for 1 hour. Remove skillet and refrigerate pâté until completely chilled and set, about 8 hours.
7. Fill baking dish with hot water. Place pâté (still in loaf pan) in baking dish for 1 minute. Remove foil. Using paring knife, loosen edges of pâté from pan, then invert pan onto cutting board. Pâté can be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 1 week or frozen for up to 1 month; it should be left whole and not sliced until ready to serve. Bring to room temperature before serving.
1 tablespoons unsalted butter
2large shallots, minced
3/4 pounds ground pork
1/4 pound pork shoulder, cut by hand into small pieces.
8 slices of bacon, 2 chopped into small pieces and the others left whole
2 chicken livers, rinsed, patted dry, trimmed, and cut into ½‐inch pieces
1 large egg
1/4 cup cognac
1/6 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoons minced fresh thyme
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
⅛ teaspoon ground ginger
3/8 cup shelled pistachios, toasted and chopped coarse
3 fresh bay leaves
1. Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Bring kettle of water to boil.
2. Melt butter in 10-inch skillet over medium heat. add shallots and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.
3. Mix pork, chopped bacon, and chicken livers together in large bowl until thoroughly combined. In separate bowl, beat eggs, cognac, and cream together with fork until combined, then stir in thyme, garlic, salt, pepper, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger. Add egg mixture, softened shallots, pistachios, and peppercorns to meat mixture and mix with your hands until thoroughly combined.
4. Arrange bay leaves, bright green side down, in the loaf pan. Line pan with bacon slices. Transfer pâté mixture to bacon-lined pan, using hands to press mixture firmly into pan (pan will be very full). Fold bacon slices over mixture and cover tightly with aluminum foil.
5. Place pan in 13 by 9-inch baking dish and transfer to oven. Pour boiling water into baking dish until it comes halfway up sides of pan. Bake pâté until it registers 165 degrees, about 1.5 hours.
6. Remove pan from baking dish and transfer to rimmed baking sheet. Place heavy skillet or small baking dish filled with heavy cans on top of pâté to weigh down. Let cool at room temperature for 1 hour. Remove skillet and refrigerate pâté until completely chilled and set, about 8 hours.
7. Fill baking dish with hot water. Place pâté (still in loaf pan) in baking dish for 1 minute. Remove foil. Using paring knife, loosen edges of pâté from pan, then invert pan onto cutting board. Pâté can be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 1 week or frozen for up to 1 month; it should be left whole and not sliced until ready to serve. Bring to room temperature before serving.
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