Pate de Campagne

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                            FOOD FUNNY
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Thanks to Rosemary Zwick for this twist on a classic fairy tale:

Baby bear goes downstairs, sits in his small chair at the table.
He looks into his small bowl. It is empty. "Who's been eating
my porridge?" he squeaks.

Daddy Bear arrives at the big table and sits in his big chair.
He looks into his big bowl and it is also empty. "Who's been
eating my porridge?" he roars.

Mummy Bear puts her head through the serving hatch from the
kitchen and yells, "How many times do I have to go through this
with you idiots? It was Mummy Bear who got up first. It was
Mummy Bear who made the coffee. It was Mummy Bear who
unloaded the dishwasher from last night and put everything away.
It was Mummy Bear who swept the floor in the kitchen. It was
Mummy Bear who went out in the cold early morning air to fetch
the newspaper and croissants. And now that you've decided to
drag yourselves downstairs and grace Mummy Bear with your
grumpy presence, listen carefully, because I'm only going to
say this once, I HAVEN'T MADE THE PORRIDGE YET!'

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                            TODAY'S RECIPE
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This classic French pate is traditionally made several days
before it is to be eaten, making it a natural choice for a first
course when entertaining guests. Serve it in thin slices with
some thinly sliced French bread. Cornichons, the sour little
French-style gherkins, are a traditional garnish.

Pate de Campagne (Country-Style Pate)

1 lb (450 g) fresh pork fat, ground
1 1/2 lbs (675 g) lean pork, ground
1 1/2 lbs (675 g) calf's or beef liver, ground
1/2 lb (225 g) lean veal or beef, ground
6 Tbs (90 ml) butter
1/2 cup finely chopped shallots
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1/2 lb (225 g) chicken livers, cut into 3 or 4 pieces
1/4 cup (60 ml) Cognac
1/4 cup (60 ml) heavy cream
2 Tbs (30 ml) lemon juice
2 Tbs (30 ml) flour
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 tsp (2 ml) ground allspice
1/2 tsp (2 ml) dried thyme
1/4 tsp (1 ml) ground nutmeg
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1/4 lb (100 g) cooked ham, cut in 1/4 inch (5 mm) cubes
8 to 12 slices bacon

Combine the ground pork fat, pork, liver, and veal or beef in a
large bowl. Melt half the butter in a large skillet over moderate
heat and saute the shallots and garlic until soft but not brown.
Scrape the contents of the skillet into the bowl with the meats.
Melt the remaining butter in the same skillet and saute the
chicken livers for 3 to 4 minutes, until they are firm but still pink
in the center. Remove the livers to a plate using a slotted spoon.
Add the Cognac to the skillet and bring to a boil, scraping the
pan to dissolve the brown bits. Pour the Cognac over the meats.
Add the cream, lemon juice, flour, egg, allspice, thyme, nutmeg,
salt, and pepper to the meat mixture and knead with both hands
until the mixture is well blended. Continue to beat with a wooden
spoon until the mixture is light and fluffy. Fold in the ham cubes.
Since this dish contains raw pork, saute a small amount to taste for
seasoning.

Line a deep, rectangular, 2 quart (2 L) terrine, or metal or glass
baking pan with a lid, with the slices of bacon. The slices should
overlap slightly and completely cover the bottom and sides of the
pan. If they are long enough to hang over the edge of the pan they
can be folded over the top of the terrine once it is filled. Otherwise,
use additional slices of bacon to cover the top. Spoon half the
meat mixture into the terrine, pressing it down firmly and smoothing
it with a spatula or the back of a spoon. Lay the chicken livers
in a row down the middle of the terrine, and spoon the remaining
meat mixture on top. Smooth the top of the meat mixture and
fold the bacon strips over the top, or use additional strips of bacon to
cover the top.
Enclose the top of the terrine with aluminum foil and cover tightly.

Place the terrine in a large baking pan in the middle of a preheated
350F (180C) oven and fill the baking pan with enough boiling water to
reach halfway up the side of the terrine. Bake for 2 hours. Remove
the terrine from the oven and remove the lid and foil. Loosely cover
with fresh foil and weight the terrine by placing a heavy pan, cutting
board, or canned goods weighing several pounds on top. Allow the
terrine to cool to room temperature, then place it in the refrigerator
with the weights in place until thoroughly chilled. To serve, remove
the weights and the foil and serve directly from the terrine it was
baked in.
Serves 10 to 12.
Received on Mon Apr 4 09:15:47 2011