THE DISH: FRENCH COUNTRY PÂTÉ

When friends come over for a social gathering, nothing goes faster than the charcuterie board. I cover mine with fine cheeses, cured meats, olives, dried fruits, and nuts, often wishing these expensive treats went a bit further. Although I’d considered it, the idea of making my own pâtés seemed just out of reach. So, I was delighted to find David Leite’s easy-to-follow adaptation of a classic country pâté like those in my vintage cooking books. Altered just a bit, our version makes two lovely 3/4-quart pâtés — plenty for your next party. Feel free to play around with the spice blend, substituting allspice for the cloves for example, or leaving out the mace or juniper. Just be sure to keep the pepper, thyme, nutmeg and ginger in there. Serve the finished pâté with cornichons, whole grain mustard, and crusty bread.

MAKES 2, ¾-QUART PÂTÉS 

EQUIPMENT:
• 2 terrines, ¾-quart (I used Le Creuset Stoneware Pâté Terrines with Press)
• Meat grinder attachment for stand mixer

FOR THE SEASONING BLEND:
• 1 Tbsp white peppercorns
• 4 dried bay leaves
• 1 tsp dried juniper berries
• ½ Tbsp paprika
• 2 tsp dried thyme leaves
• 1 ½ tsp nutmeg (1 small nutmeg, freshly ground)
• 1 ½ tsp mace
• 3 tsp powdered ginger
• 1 tsp ground clove

FOR THE PÂTÉ:
• 12 to 14 slices bacon
• 2 lbs boneless pork shoulder, with some fat and marbling, cut into 1-inch chunks
• ½ cup fresh chicken livers, trimmed of veins and connective tissues
• ½ medium white onion, finely diced to make ½ cup
• 6 cloves garlic, minced to make 2 Tbsp
• 1 cup fresh flat leaf parsley leaves, chopped to make ½ cup
• 2 Tbsp kosher salt
• 2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 2 Tbsp flour
• 2 large eggs
• ½ cup heavy cream
• 3 Tbsp brandy
• 1 cup diced smoked ham
• ½ cup pistachio nuts

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INSTRUCTIONS

PRE-PREP: Place the bowl of a stand mixer in the fridge to chill. Place chicken livers and pork shoulder chunks in freezer to quick chill.

MAKE SEASONING BLEND: Place peppercorns, bay leaves, and juniper berries in a spice or coffee grinder and pulse to a fine powder. Remove to a bowl and stir in remaining spices. You will use just a half teaspoon of the blend for the recipe, so there will be some left over for next time. Set aside.

PREP PÂTÉ MOLDS: Line two 3/4-quart terrines with plastic wrap, leaving a few inches of overhang all around. Now, line the terrines with bacon slices, letting the ends of the bacon strips overhang the sides of the terrines. Set aside.

MAKE PÂTÉ: Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Remove chilled stand mixer bowl from fridge. Place mixer bowl in a bowl of ice in kitchen sink. With meat grinder attached and fitted with 3/8-inch die, set stand mixer with grind attachment extended over the bowl in the sink. Grind the chilled chunks of pork. Replace the 3/8-inch die with the 1/8-inch die in the grinder attachment. Leaving the bowl in the sink, remove 1/3 of the pork you just ground, placing it in a new bowl. Add onion, garlic, parsley, salt, pepper, and ½ teaspoon of the seasoning blend. Remove the chicken livers from the freezer and add those to the mixture. Now grind this chicken liver mixture back into the bowl with the remaining 2/3 of the ground pork. Blend eggs, flour, cream, and brandy and stir in. Add chopped ham and pistachios and mix well until sticky. Divide pâté mixture between the two terrines. Fold overhanging portions of bacon strips back over the top of the pâtés. Add an extra strip or two of bacon to cover any exposed portions of pâté. Fold plastic wrap flaps over the bacon. Place lids on terrines and fully wrap each terrine with foil.

COOK PÂTÉS: Place terrines in a deep roasting pan. With rack in center position place pan on rack. Fill pan with 2 inches very hot water or enough so that water comes ½ way up the sides of the terrines. Cover pan with foil. Carefully close oven. Cook for 1 hour and 30 minutes or until internal temperature of pâté reaches 145 degrees. Remove pâtés from water bath. Drain water. Remove foil and lids from terrines and place terrines back in pan. Cut a thick piece of cardboard to fit inside edges and on top of each pâté. Place heavy weights on top of cardboard to compress pâtés in fridge overnight. (Do not skip this step.)

To serve, remove weights and cardboard. Flip pâtés onto serving board, remove plastic wrap, and slice.