French Style Country Terrine or Pâté (Terrine deCampagne)
18th September 2011 by hopeeternal
Once we have got across the channel webuya lovely fresh stick‘pain’ forour first picnic and then spendtime poring over the wonderful offerings on the delicatessen counter. Which cheese? Can’t choose: OK let’sget two types …and we mustn’t forget thepâté!Mostly we buythis froma supermarket but sometimes, if weare ina town, we buy froma Charcuterie orPork Butcher, where it is likely to be the butcher’s shop own recipe.Pâté, of course, comes in many different local and regional guises. My husbandloves Pâté Provençale, often slightly spicywith pieces of red and green pepper and there are no prizes for guessing what my duck loving daughter chooses …I’m just happy to try as many different ones as I can! We all have a bit of a weakness for a good meaty (and garlicky!) French pâté. The French seem to have a penchant for adding pistachio nuts to cooked meats and pâtés so I was very pleased to come across this recipe which made a very pretty addition to our Christmas afternoon tea (and several subsequent meals) last year. I have been intending to share it for some time and as there is a French theme this month, here it is at last …and as promised. Be warned, though,this is not a particularly quick recipe to make as the pressing and cooling takes at least 2 hours in addition to the making and cooking time, but it is worth it.
The recipe comes from one of my Christmas presents (a request!) last year: The French Market by Joanne Harris & Fran Warde. I already own a copy of the companion book by the same authors: The French Kitchen. The pâté hadfavourable comments from our Christmas and New Year visitors but if Iwas being critical Ithink it needs a few littletweaks when I make it again, and I will. Firstly, I felt that the recipe needed a little more seasoning (I was probably being careful so underseasoned)andthe addition of garlic for astronger flavour. This isdown topersonal preference and is a comment rather than an instruction: you will have to make up your own mind and alter as you think fit. I used the exact amount of pistachio nutsbut felt it was rather a lot and could be reduced a little next time, perhaps by a quarter or even more. You can see from the photo just how generous the quantity is.Other recipes include peppercorns which give a lovely spicy hit in the mouth: the quantity to add would be trial and error of course and certainly not the same inquantity as the pistachios. I have a tub of mixed coloured peppercorns bought in France – a mixture of black, white, green and pinkwhich I will try sometime. Another adaptationcould be a version ofPâté Provençale, adding chopped mixed peppers and Herbes de Provence. I chose to make the mixture in two smaller loaf tins, which meant that I needed almostdouble the number of baconrashers and then froze one block to extend the use by date, defrostingit overnight before cooking, though I could easily have cooked both and simply frozen one afterwards, perhaps ready sliced.
‘Meanderings through my Cookbook’ http://www.hopeeternalcookbook.wordpress.com
French Style Country Terrine/Pâté (Terrine/Pâté de Campagne)
(Serves 6-8 as a lunch dish – more as part of a buffet)
450g streaky bacon, thinly sliced & rind free (extra for more than one block of pâté)
200g chicken livers, trimmed
500g lean pork, diced
4 shallots, finely diced
or
2 small white onions, finely diced
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped/crushed (optional addition to original recipe)
2 eggs, beaten
bunch of fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped
4 sprigs of thyme, just the leaves
or
1tsp dried thyme
2 bay leaves, chopped
Sea salt & ground black pepper
100g pistachio nuts, or less(whole or chopped –reserved some wholeto garnish) optional
1. The original recipe specified heating the oven to 160oC/Gas 3. No Farenheit temperature was given but I think this is about 312oF.
2. Chop the chicken livers and 250g of the bacon and place together in a bowl.
3. Stir in both the chopped and the minced pork, chopped shallots or onion, chopped or crushed garlic, eggs, herbs and seasoning. Add most of the pistachio(or other nuts,peppercorns orsimilar) at this point, reserving a few as a garnish. Mix well.
4. Line a 22cm x 11cm terrine dish or loaf tin with most of the remaining slices of bacon, reserving a few to go on top once it is filled. Alternatively use two (or more) smaller ovenproof containers, but as mentioned previously you will need extra bacon. The bacon can be gently stretched with a knife so it covers a larger area of the tin and should be laid side by side with no gaps. The pâté will have an attractive striped appearance.
5. Fill the dish(es) or tin(s) with the meat mixture.
6. Fold the ends of the lining bacon over the top of the meat mixture and lay the remaining slices on the top side by side.
7. Bake in the oven for 1½ hours – two separate containersshould need slightly less time. Watch the surface and if the meat starts to brown too much, cover with a layer of tin foil, shiny side up to reflect away the heat.
8. Remove and leave to cool for 30 minutes before carefully draining off the collected juices. These can be kept as stock and added to another meat recipe.
9. Place sheet of tin foil and then a snug fitting weight on the top of the terrine or tin for at least 1½ hours in order to compress it. (I used some tins with some heavy bags of salt on top, but use whatever is to hand.)
10. For ease the finished terrine should be turned out while still slightly warm. It can then be eaten immediately or chilled in the refrigerator until ready to slice and serve. Scatter with the remaining pistachios or other nuts,if using, to preserve their crunchiness for as long as possible.(If adding peppercorns you do not need to reserve any.)
11. The book recommends thatthis will keep for up to 7 days in the refrigerator. If making more than one container or loaf the second one can be wrapped well in tin foil and frozen. It should be thoroughly defrosted (overnight in the refrigerator) before eating.
12. This can also be cut into portions or individual slices to be taken in advancefrom the freezer and defrosted.
13. Serve with crusty French style or Wholegrain bread and salad. Good for buffets and summer picnics and excellent to serve as a starter, especially as it can be made in advance.
