Gordons Rustic Pâté Recipes

GORDON'S RUSTIC PâTé

Steps:

• Prepare duck and chicken breasts and the pork fillet by trimming off any sinews and fat. Smash the garlic with the back of a knife to crush roughly. Mix the meats in a bowl with the garlic, thyme, Armagnac, oil and pepper (no salt at this stage). Cover and marinate in the fridge for 1-24 hrs, depending on depth of flavour that's required.
• Drain the meats from the marinade, which can be discarded, and cut into chunks of about 1.5cm. Heat the goose fat or butter in a large frying pan and fry the meats for 2 mins on each side to brown. Discard the garlic and thyme sprigs. Season and cool.
• Grease a 1kg terrine or loaf tin well. Arrange strips of bacon on the base and up both sides with enough overhanging to fold over. You will have a double layer of bacon on the base. Set aside.
• Soften the sausagemeat in a big bowl with a wooden spoon, then work in the cream and chopped herbs. To check the seasoning, shape a tbsp of the mixture into a patty and fry in a little oil for 2-3 mins, then taste and add more salt and pepper to the bowl, if needed.
• Mix the marinated meats into the sausagemeat. Scoop the mixture into the terrine, pressing down well and mounding up on the top. Pull the overhanging bacon strips up and over to cover.
• Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Double-wrap the terrine top in foil, pressing well into the sides and twisting the ends to seal. Place in a large, deep-sided roasting pan and pour in boiling water to reach halfway up the sides. Bake for 1 hr, until the meat feels firm on top when pressed. Remove from the oven and leave to cool, then chill overnight.
• To serve, place the terrine in a pan of just-boiled water and leave for 3 mins to soften the bacon. Loosen the sides with a flat knife and ease the terrine out onto a board. Serve in slices with pear compote, some winter salad leaves and chunks of crusty bread.

GORDON'S RUSTIC PâTé

Steps:

• Prepare duck and chicken breasts and the pork fillet by trimming off any sinews and fat. Smash the garlic with the back of a knife to crush roughly. Mix the meats in a bowl with the garlic, thyme, Armagnac, oil and pepper (no salt at this stage). Cover and marinate in the fridge for 1-24 hrs, depending on depth of flavour that's required.
• Drain the meats from the marinade, which can be discarded, and cut into chunks of about 1.5cm. Heat the goose fat or butter in a large frying pan and fry the meats for 2 mins on each side to brown. Discard the garlic and thyme sprigs. Season and cool.
• Grease a 1kg terrine or loaf tin well. Arrange strips of bacon on the base and up both sides with enough overhanging to fold over. You will have a double layer of bacon on the base. Set aside.
• Soften the sausagemeat in a big bowl with a wooden spoon, then work in the cream and chopped herbs. To check the seasoning, shape a tbsp of the mixture into a patty and fry in a little oil for 2-3 mins, then taste and add more salt and pepper to the bowl, if needed.
• Mix the marinated meats into the sausagemeat. Scoop the mixture into the terrine, pressing down well and mounding up on the top. Pull the overhanging bacon strips up and over to cover.
• Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Double-wrap the terrine top in foil, pressing well into the sides and twisting the ends to seal. Place in a large, deep-sided roasting pan and pour in boiling water to reach halfway up the sides. Bake for 1 hr, until the meat feels firm on top when pressed. Remove from the oven and leave to cool, then chill overnight.
• To serve, place the terrine in a pan of just-boiled water and leave for 3 mins to soften the bacon. Loosen the sides with a flat knife and ease the terrine out onto a board. Serve in slices with pear compote, some winter salad leaves and chunks of crusty bread.

EASY CHICKEN LIVER PATE

Steps:

• Set aside 1/2 cup butter to soften slightly.
• Place onion and apple in a food processor with the steel knife blade; process until coarsely chopped.
• Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and apple; cook and stir until lightly browned, 5 to 10 minutes. Return onion and apple to food processor.
• Melt 5 tablespoons butter in the same skillet over high heat; cook chicken livers until browned and just done inside, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low and pour in brandy; allow to warm up without stirring. Carefully light the liquid; let flames subside.
• Transfer chicken liver mixture to the food processor with onion and apple. Add cream and process until very smooth. Transfer mixture into a bowl and refrigerate until cool, at least 30 minutes.
• Cut the softened 1/2 cup butter into pieces and process in the food processor; add about 1/3 of the liver mixture and blend about 5 seconds. Repeat 2 more times with remaining liver mixture. Add lemon juice, salt, and pepper and blend well.
• Transfer pate to a serving dish or several small dishes; top with 1 tablespoon melted butter. Cover loosely with plastic wrap; refrigerate until chilled and set, about 3 hours.

RUSTIC FRENCH PORK AND CHICKEN PâTé

Steps:

• Make sure the meat is quite cold, then cut it in 1-inch strips. Grind .75 of the pork shoulder and chicken, plus half the pancetta, to a medium grind. (Or have your butcher do the grinding for you.)
• Grind the remaining pork, chicken and pancetta to a coarse grind, or cut by hand with a sharp knife into small cubes about 1/8 inch.
• Combine all the meat in a large bowl. Add the salt, garlic, sage and thyme. Pour the wine and Cognac over it, then knead seasonings into the mixture with a wooden spoon, your hands or the paddle attachment of a stand mixer.
• In a spice mill or mortar, grind the peppercorns, coriander seeds, fennel seeds and cloves to a fine powder. Add to the mixture, along with nutmeg, cinnamon and cayenne. Mix again.
• Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Pat the seasoned pate; mixture into a 2.5-quart loaf pan. Press the bay leaf on the surface, then cover the pan tightly with foil. (Refrigerate overnight if desired; bring to room temperature before baking.) Place in a deep-sided roasting pan and add hot water to reach half way up the dish. Bake on the middle shelf for about an hour, or until the internal temperature of the pate is 160 degrees.
• Carefully remove from the oven and cool in the loaf pan, then wrap well and refrigerate for at least 24 hours before serving. Keeps a week or more.

GORTON (FRENCH-CANADIAN PORK SPREAD)

Steps:

• Stir the pork fat, ground pork, onions, water, cloves, and nutmeg together in a large pot. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until the pork is tender, at least 1 1/2 hours. Use a potato masher to mash the pork mixture every 15 minutes as it cooks.
• The longer you simmer the gorton, the better the flavor will be. Add water as needed to keep the mixture from boiling dry. When you're ready to stop cooking, let the liquid reduce as much as possible without letting it burn. Refrigerate the gorton overnight. Remove and discard the fat layer, or stir it into the meat for a creamier spread.

GORDON'S RUSTIC PâTé

Steps:

• Prepare duck and chicken breasts and the pork fillet by trimming off any sinews and fat. Smash the garlic with the back of a knife to crush roughly. Mix the meats in a bowl with the garlic, thyme, Armagnac, oil and pepper (no salt at this stage). Cover and marinate in the fridge for 1-24 hrs, depending on depth of flavour that's required.
• Drain the meats from the marinade, which can be discarded, and cut into chunks of about 1.5cm. Heat the goose fat or butter in a large frying pan and fry the meats for 2 mins on each side to brown. Discard the garlic and thyme sprigs. Season and cool.
• Grease a 1kg terrine or loaf tin well. Arrange strips of bacon on the base and up both sides with enough overhanging to fold over. You will have a double layer of bacon on the base. Set aside.
• Soften the sausagemeat in a big bowl with a wooden spoon, then work in the cream and chopped herbs. To check the seasoning, shape a tbsp of the mixture into a patty and fry in a little oil for 2-3 mins, then taste and add more salt and pepper to the bowl, if needed.
• Mix the marinated meats into the sausagemeat. Scoop the mixture into the terrine, pressing down well and mounding up on the top. Pull the overhanging bacon strips up and over to cover.
• Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Double-wrap the terrine top in foil, pressing well into the sides and twisting the ends to seal. Place in a large, deep-sided roasting pan and pour in boiling water to reach halfway up the sides. Bake for 1 hr, until the meat feels firm on top when pressed. Remove from the oven and leave to cool, then chill overnight.
• To serve, place the terrine in a pan of just-boiled water and leave for 3 mins to soften the bacon. Loosen the sides with a flat knife and ease the terrine out onto a board. Serve in slices with pear compote, some winter salad leaves and chunks of crusty bread.