I realize making this pate may seem like quite a production, but if you enjoy charcuterie, this would make for a very fun, beautiful, and quite delicious project.
Ingredients
- ground cloves: 1 tsp
- ground nutmeg: 1 tsp
- ground ginger: 1 tsp
- cayenne pepper: 1 tsp
- ¼ pounds boneless pork shoulder: 1 piece (cut into 1-inch cubes)
- ounces duck leg meat: 6 piece
- ounces fatty bacon: 4 piece (chopped)
- ounces chicken livers: 4 piece (chopped)
- yellow onion: 1 piece (diced)
- shallot: 1 piece (sliced)
- Italian parsley: 0.33333 cup (chopped)
- cognac: 0.25 cup
- kosher salt: 5 tsp
- garlic: 4 clove (minced)
- black pepper: 1 tsp (freshly ground)
- pink curing salt (such as Instacure™ #1): 0.125 tsp (optional)
- heavy whipping cream: 0.5 cup
- dry bread crumbs: 0.33333 cup
- eggs: 2 piece
- cherries: 0.5 cup (dried, optional)
- shelled whole pistachios: 0.5 cup (optional)
- strips bacon: 8 piece (or as needed)
Metric Conversion
Stages of cooking
-
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.
