How to Make the Ultimate Pâté en Croûte

pork fat

🥗Healthier: olive oil

💰Cheaper: butter

Olive oil reduces saturated fat while providing moisture.

chicken liver

🥗Healthier: tofu

💰Cheaper: ground turkey

Tofu offers a plant-based option, while ground turkey is more affordable.

brandy

🥗Healthier: apple cider vinegar

💰Cheaper: white wine

Apple cider vinegar adds acidity without the alcohol.

gelatin

🥗Healthier: agar-agar

💰Cheaper: cornstarch

Agar-agar is a plant-based alternative for thickening.

Start by preparing the filling for the pâté en croûte.

Dice pork belly and add it to the mixture after grinding to create a mosaic effect.

Grind pork liver until it resembles ground meat, ensuring it is not too tacky.

Add salt and pink salt to the ground liver and mix well.

Incorporate white pepper, allspice, mace, black pepper, chili flake, and fresh thyme into the mixture.

Add lots of fresh garlic and mix again, keeping the pork belly and prunes separate for later.

Grind the mixture again to achieve a smooth texture with no air gaps.

Pour in the juice from steeped prunes and mix them into the filling, saving the prunes for later.

Add chopped pork belly and blanched back fat to the mixture, ensuring a variety of textures.

Incorporate pistachios for added texture and flavor, and add 1 egg to the mixture.

Wrap the mixture and let it sit for at least 3 days to develop flavor, preferably 5 days.

Prepare the blood sausage (boudin noir) by mixing meat and salt in a bowl.

Add pig's blood, cream, black pepper, and shallot to the meat mixture and combine well until tacky.

Spread the blood sausage mixture into a thin strip on a sheet tray and freeze it.

Prepare aspic by roasting pig's feet and beef knuckle bones to extract collagen.

Boil the bones, skim impurities, and cook for 48 hours to create a gelatinous base.

Reduce red wine and port with aromatics like cinnamon, star anise, and bay leaves.

Combine the reduced wine with the aspic and cook down until thickened.

Pour the aspic into the pâté en croûte before serving.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level:

Allergens