Pate de Campagne

By John, 13 February, 2017
Region
France
Description

"Pate de Campagne"This is a coarse pate, hearty picnic fare, best served in slabs with crusty bread, cornichons, and coarse mustard, and washed down with young, rustic wine. It is typically made with a mixture of pork and veal or with a mix of lean and fatty cuts of pork such as loin and shoulder. This one has long strips of ham steak laid lengthwise through it so when you slice it you get those flavorful little nuggets.

Yield
14 Servings
Preparation time
2 hours
Ingredients
8 oz uncured bacon (See Notes)
16 oz Pork Shoulder (ground)
12 oz ground veal
8 oz leaf lard
12 oz Ham (cut into strips)
6 T Butter (Unsalted)
4 oz Dry White Wine
2 T Quatre-epices (see recipe)
3 oz Brandy
8 oz onions (chopped)
2 T Flour
1 egg (beaten)
Instructions
  1. Grind the pork and veal and half of the bacon together into a forcemeat.
  2. Mix in the spices and the brandy and let the mixture marinate overnight in the refrigerator.
  3. Preheat the oven to 340.
  4. Saute the onions until golden. Add the flour and mix well.
  5. Remove from the heat and stir in the beaten egg.
  6. Combine the egg-onion mixture well with the meat mixture. This is your forcemeat.
  7. Line a terrine or a loaf pan with the other half of the bacon. Leave some hanging over the edges and reserve some for a decorative top.
  8. Lightly pack a third of the meat-egg mixture into the bacon-lined pan, lay down some ham strips, then more of the forcemeat and more ham strips and finish with the last of the forcemeat.
  9. Lay the reserved bacon strips along the top and weave the overhanging bacon into it to make an attractive pattern.
  10. Place the covered terrine in a larger pan of hot water coming about halfway up the sides of the terrine. Bake for 2-3 hours, until a skewer comes out clean and the juices run clear. The pate should be swimming in fat.
  11. Uncover the terrine for a few minutes to crisp the top bacon.
  12. Drain off the melted fat and cool under a weight (this makes it easier to slice).
  13. Serve cold.
Notes

The French recipes call for pork belly or uncured bacon. You can use hickory or applewood-smoked American bacon if you are not committed to French authenticity.

Source

Charcuterie