Best Pate Du Porc Recipes

CHEF JOHN'S PATE DE CAMPAGNE

Steps:

• Combine cloves, nutmeg, ginger, and cayenne pepper in a small bowl to make spice mixture.
• Place pork shoulder, duck meat, chopped bacon, chicken livers, onion, shallot, parsley, cognac, salt, garlic, pepper, 3/4 teaspoon spice mixture, and pink curing salt in a large bowl. Mix thoroughly until evenly distributed. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate about 2 hours.
• Whisk cream, bread crumbs, and eggs together in a bowl.
• Transfer pork mixture to a rimmed baking sheet lined with a silicone mat or parchment. Freeze for 15 to 20 minutes to facilitate grinding the meat.
• Grind pork mixture into a bowl using the meat-grinder attachment of a stand mixer. Add dried cherries and pistachios. Add the cream mixture; fold gently until just combined.
• Arrange bacon strips crosswise in a 9x5-inch loaf pan, letting ends hang over the edges of the pan. Trim some strips to fit the ends of the pan.
• Fill pan to the top with the ground pork mixture; smooth the top. Cover surface with strips of bacon. Fold side bacon piece edges over the top. Cover with a piece of parchment cut to fit the top of the pan; wrap tightly with heavy duty aluminum foil.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Transfer pan to a deep pot or Dutch oven. Pour in hot tap water to reach 1/2 to 2/3 of the way up the side of the pan. Cover.
• Bake in the preheated oven until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center reads 155 degrees F (68 degrees C), 1 3/4 to 2 hours.
• Transfer pan to a paper-towel lined surface to absorb any moisture. If mixture has risen above the top edge of the pan, press it down with a heavy pan. Remove the aluminum foil, leaving the parchment paper on top. Transfer pan to a paper-towel-lined baking dish. Cut a piece of cardboard to be slightly smaller than the top of the pan. Wrap with aluminum foil and place on the parchment paper. Press down with weights like canned food.
• Refrigerate at least 8 hours to chill and compress the pate.
• To unmold the pate, pour very hot water into a large bowl. Dip mold into hot water for 1 to 2 seconds. Turn out onto a paper-towel-lined dish; chill again before slicing.

RAGOUT DE PATTES DE COCHON (PORK SHANK AND MEATBALL STEW)

Steps:

• Mix sea salt, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon cloves, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, nutmeg, and garlic salt together in a bowl. Rub salt mixture all over pork shanks.
• Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large saucepan. Cook pork shanks in the hot oil until browned, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Pour in enough water to cover the shanks. Stir in coarsely chopped onion and celery. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until pork can be easily removed from the bones, 2 to 3 hours.
• Transfer pork shanks to a cutting board; shred pork.
• Strain cooking liquid, discarding bones, onion, and celery. Pour strained liquid back into the saucepan. Stir in shredded pork.
• Mix ground pork, finely chopped onion, parsley, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon cloves, ginger, mustard powder, salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper together in a large bowl. Shape into balls.
• Pour toasted flour into a shallow dish. Roll meatballs in toasted flour.
• Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook meatballs in batches until browned, about 1 minute per side.
• Stir browned meatballs into the shredded pork stew. Simmer, stirring in leftover toasted flour, until meatballs are no longer pink in the center and stew is thick, about 30 minutes.

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.