Thursday, August 14, 2014

Pâte̒ Recipe

For attendees of the Weston A. Price Foundation meeting this evening, and anyone looking for a nice summer meal treat.

Our Pâte̒ Recipe
y = 2 regular or ~5 mini pâte̒ 
Basics
2#    Ground Pork
2#    Chicken Liver and Chicken Hearts (total)
1#    Bacon, finely minced ( mince while very cold or partially frozen to facilitate the process)
3 oz  Crushed Garlic
1.25 oz Salt
1/4 oz Cognac, Brandy, Armagnac, whichever you are fortunate enough to have.

Points of Departure
6 oz  Dried Fig, chopped
6 oz  Golden raisins
2T    Fennel Seed, toasted, whole
10    Juniper Berries
3T    Black Peppercorns
1T    Corriander
      - combine and grind juniper, black pepper, and corriander

This is a rustic pate for busy people.  It is fast to prepare, forgiving in its recipe, and easy to thaw.  It reminds me of the pâte̒ I was given by my host family in Bornholm, Denmark for breakfast.  I still prefer it for breakfast. I keep it simple and do not wrap in fat or bacon, or weigh them down.  I do like the effect of the water bath, however.

Construction
Reserve the ground pork.
Grind the hearts in a food processor to nearly a paste.  Ditto the livers and add with minced bacon to the pork.  Add the remaining ingredients and fold all together nicely. Use whichever spices, dried fruits, toasted nuts etc. that you like.
Take a little bit and cook it briefly and taste it.  Adjust the seasoning accordingly, especially the salt. Is it delicious ?  Can you taste the other flavors?  Are they in concert with each other? No? Add more salt. Cook and taste again. How about now? No? Add more salt.  Again.  Ahh, there it is.  Excellent.  This IS NOT an optional step.  You are this far in now so do it right and nail the seasoning, do you really want to choke down 5# of bland pâte̒? 
Load into loaf pans and bake at 325 for 1.5 - 2 hours.  You may also use a water bath, or not, your choice. You may weight the cooling pates down, or not, your choice.  
A water bath and weighing will yield a finer textured, fancier, more evenly colored product.  Omitting them will yield a more rustic product.
Cool and remove the pate from the tins.  Wrap and enjoy within 10 days or freeze for future enjoyment.
I like to use mini loaf pans and to put a bunch of these into the freezer at a go.  

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