Pate Three Ways: Part One

C – It’s pate day!

This one might be a bit over-the-top. Actually, I really don’t know why I am so excited about liver in creamy form … but I am. I guess because we are making it three ways.

From really simple to pretty complex. I can’t wait to try them all.

We decided to try three different recipes. There are so many different pate recipes, so we wanted to try a few. Of course, that fact that Luke requested 4 pounds of chicken liver … and that we already had a pound of lamb liver … helped too.

NOTE: This is a two-day post, since it’s so long.

• First: Pate de Grande Mere. Luke had this recipe from his CIA training book.
• Second: Chicken Liver Mousse Mirabelle. Jim found this one. Luke thought it looked good.
• Third: I wanted to try Jacques Pepin’s recipe for Chicken Liver Pate. I found this one. It looked simple and good.

All three recipes had a few things in common. Of course, chicken liver. The second, was some form of fat combined with the liver. Third, some form of alcohol. Lastly, fresh herbs. I guess that’s what makes a pate.

They all had similar steps. Some did take longer than others. In our opinion, the one that took the longest tasted the best.

Pate de Grande Mere was the first one we made. This was a long process. Almost three days to get this pate done. Two days for cooking and an additional day to set. We marinated the chicken liver and pork butt overnight. We also added some lamb heart to it. We had to braise the lamb heart for six hours to make sure it was nice and tender.

This is a country-style pate, not a smooth pate. A country pate is more rustic and chunky. So, you may get a few chunks here and there. It was a long process, but we were well-rewarded for our work.

I managed to try this pate for breakfast the day after it was done. It has the most amazing flavor.

If you told me that there was chicken liver in it, I wouldn’t believe you. The liver just made it creamy. Everything else made it so incredibly flavorful. I almost ate an entire loaf all by myself. Luckily, Jim warned me there was a lot of fat in it. I slowed down a bit.

Pate Three Ways: Part One

Recipe type: Sides, Snacks

Author: Christina

Prep time: 1 hour

Cook time: 7 hours

Total time: 8 hours

Serves: 5 loaves

Ingredients

Brine

• 8 oz lamb heart
• 12 oz bottle Guiness beer
• 6 oz chicken jus
• 1 onion, cut into quarters
• 1 handful of fresh thyme
• 1 head of garlic, cut in half diagonally
• 3 cups water, more if needed
• 2 bay leaves

Marinade

• 40 oz chicken livers, cleaned of any bile residue, cut out the nerves
• 34 oz pork butt, cut into 2 inch cubes
• 1 teaspoon pink curing salt
• 1½ oz salt
• 2 teaspoon sugar
• 4 bay leaves
• 2 thyme sprigs
• 1 oz Maderia

Pate

• 2 oz canola oil, divided
• 1 oz brandy
• 2 oz shallots, minced
• 1 oz parsley, chopped
• 10 oz milk
• 5 oz white bread, crust removed
• 4 eggs
• 6 oz heavy cream
• Aspic or gelatin as needed

Instructions

Day #1

1. Place the first the first 8 ingredients (lamb heart, beer, jus, onion, thyme, garlic head, water and bay leaves) into a medium pot and bring to a low simmer. Let simmer for 6 hours until tender. Once done let cool and refrigerate in braising liquid.
2. Combine the livers and pork butt with the curing salt, salt, sugar, bay leaves, thyme and Madeira. Place the two meats separate containers. Marinate overnight.

Day #2

1. Sear the chicken livers in ½ of the oil. Brown the outside, but do not cook.
2. Add brandy and flambe. Remove from heat and chill. Remove bay and thyme.
3. Saute shallots in remaining oil. Remove from pan and chill.
4. Soak bread in milk.
5. Cut lamb heart into small pieces, removing veins, etc.
6. Combine meats, parsley, and shallots and run through medium plate of meat grinder. Or place into a food process and blend. Don’t over blend. You still want some chunks in the pate.
7. Remove meat mixture to a large bowl.
8. Place milk soaked bread into same mixer. Pulse until smooth.
9. Add to meat mixture.
10. Add eggs, heavy cream, parsley, salt and pepper. Mix well by hand.
11. Line terrine(s) or one-ninth hotel pans with plastic wrap. This recipe uses 5 of the mini hotel pans.
12. Place mixture into pans.
13. Bake in a water bath in a 325 degree oven until internal temperature of 150 degrees. Cool slightly and pour out juices in each mini pan.
14. Fill each pan with aspic or gelatin just to cover pate.
15. Cool overnight.

Day #3

1. Turn out pate loaves from pans.
2. Serve.
3. Enjoy!

3.1.08

It was so good. I just couldn’t stop eating it. I think this was the best one.

See: Pate Three Ways: Part Two, tomorrow, for the continuing adventure …