Friday, January 13, 2017

Pâté de Campagne – Finally, Something Complicated

Every once in a while, I get a food wish that has nothing to do with a specific recipe, but rather it’s a request to post something complicated, and challenging to do. Well, this country-style pâté is about as close as we’re going to get.

Calling this recipe complicated is sort of a stretch; "involved” would probably be more accurate. There are many steps, and the ingredient list isn’t short, but none of the techniques are very difficult, or particularly time-consuming.

Coarsely grinding the meat is probably the most crucial step, but as you saw, if the meat is very cold, the attachment on your stand mixer will do an adequate job. If you don’t have one, you can pulse on and off in a food processor, and as long as your meat was partially frozen, this will work.

Another option is just to place your meat order with a real butcher, and ask them to coarsely grind it all together for you, after which you can simply process the rest of your ingredients, and add them to your already ground meat and fat. Speaking of fat, I used some chopped up bacon, but virtually any kind of pork fat will work. 

If you do use bacon, either in the pâté, or to wrap with, I suggest using one that’s lightly smoked, so as not to overpower the rest of the flavors. Anyway, I realize this may seem like quite a production, but if you enjoy charcuterie, this would make for a very fun, beautiful, and quite delicious project. I hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!


Ingredients for one Pâté de Campagne (16 portions):
1 1/4 pounds boneless pork shoulder (aka “pork butt”), cut into one-inch cubes
6 ounces duck leg meat (meat removed from 2 or 3 legs)
4 ounces fatty bacon, chopped
4 ounces chicken livers, roughly chopped
1 small yellow onion, diced
1 shallot, thinly sliced
4 cloves minced garlic
1/3 cup chopped Italian parsley
25 grams kosher salt (about 5 teaspoons)
1/8 teaspoon “instacure” pink curing salt
3/4 teaspoon *pate spice mix
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup cognac or brandy
1/3 cup plain dry bread crumbs
2 large eggs
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup dried cherries, optional
1/2 cup pistachios, optional
8-10 sliced of bacon, or a few sheets of caul fat to line the **mold

* For the Pâté Spice:
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

** My bread pan was a little smaller than standard, but a regular 9 x 5 inch loaf pan should work perfectly here.

-- Cook in water bath at 350 F. until internal temp of 155 F. 

27 comments:

AlexKeyWest said...

Thanks, Chef. This last weekend I was doing a wine tasting of several 1986 Bordeaux. I wanted to have serve interesting cheeses and a country pate. Unfortunately I couldn't find a pate I wanted in any of the specialty stores near me and planned to research the topic this week.

Instead of a standard loaf pan, do you think I could make several smaller ones in mini loaf pans?

Mark said...

For grinding? Go to an antique shop or a flea market and get an old cast iron meat grinder. They clamp on to your kitchen counter, and you turn a crank to grind the meat. Usually they cost about $25. They last forever.

Unknown said...

Are you a Trombone Shorty fan?

This is just in time since I got the meat grinder for Christmas and my newly discovered taste for liverwurst...or hopefully Pate de Campagne. Thanks Chef!

Anonymous said...

Chef, Any thoughts on how you would suggest this to be done without the use of pork? I am thinking that you could substitute lamb shoulder for the pork butt, and goose in the pate. However I am still trying to think of what could be done in replacement of the bacon/caul fat. Any thoughts or suggestions on a pig-less version?

Unknown said...

A great motivational video and recipe! Every food lover should make pate at least once in their lifetime. Nice job breaking it down. On an unrelated note, I wish the freakishly small spoon would get its own cooking blog. JH

Unknown said...

Did you speed up the voice over?

Unknown said...

Hi Chef,

Just wondering how long you think this would last either in the fridge, or if it is suitable to freeze? A great recipe, but a lot pate to get through in a sitting. ;)

Cheers

Jerome said...

Great ! Thanks !
I am surprised you do not put jelly in it. In Europa, this kind of paté has usually some in it, made I think with boiled bones (?) but I do not remember how my father made it.

afamehe said...

Chef, can I use only rabbit instead of pork and duck? Merci!

bdwilcox said...

You're a pâté animal.

Iver said...

One of my farmer friends from our local farmer's market gave me a pork liver yesterday(12/14/17). I was wondering if there were any Pate recipes on Food Wishes. And behold, Chef John anticipated my needs the just day before. (You know, it's not really a food wish if you post the recipe before I have the thought.) Oh well, off to the grinder. The mix sat in the fridge overnight and smells AMAZING. Thanks!

Anonymous said...

:') Now THIS brings a tear to my eye! Thank You, CJ!!!

Pyrofish said...

This looks delicious, and right up my alley. Now I have to find some people with similar tastes to share it with, because my family isn't going to touch it :-)

Unknown said...

https://sli.mg/4r0HxV

Hey Chef John just wanted to say thanks for the recipe and wanted to show you how it turned out for me.

Sandra from Montreal said...

We have such an amazing array of pâtés in Quebec that it's never occurred to me to make my own, but I'll definitely be trying this soon! Thanks again for all you do!
PS...if you're interested in learning some handy French pronunciation, I would recommend this site: https://forvo.com/word/campagne/#fr
:)

Jon MacLellan said...

Hi Chef,

Is the resting period for the parade required or were you just prepping while the meats was stiffening in the freezer?

Anonymous said...

Just curious, CJ. Was that a 1/4 hairy bear paw, 1/2 hairy bear paw, or a full hairy bear paw of fruit and nuts?

Sincerely,

A fruity/nutty Country Pate' lover

Unknown said...

Hi Cheff John,

This recipe looks to be a terrine and not a pâté as describe. What are your thoughts?

Also what are your tips on grinding meat without a machine to do it.

Thanks

Unknown said...

Hi Cheff John,

This recipe looks to be a terrine and not a pâté as describe. What are your thoughts?

Also what are your tips on grinding meat without a machine to do it.

Thanks

Martin said...

First off, I studied this recipe for weeks. Really want it to work. My mix was perfectly seasoned, I used the finest ingredients. Kitchen Aid grinding attachment was (and has been in the past) my first set back. I should have known not to reattempt using it. I thought, ok, I will use my Cuisinart food processor after I extracted what I could from the gears. Sadly, and stupidly, I accidentally tossed the die blade into the food processor and blew out the back of the mixing bowl and damaged blade -- pate schmootz everywhere. I have another grinder, which I am trying to finish this with. Do yourself a favor, either have a really good meat grinder, or use pre-ground mix. This took me all day with company coming tomorrow for holiday charcuterie for which this was going to be the centerpiece. The best laid plans of mice and men....

mario1360 said...

Hello Chef John, I did your Pâté de campagne for Christmas dinner and my guests were ecstatic. I used Caul fat lining instead of the bacon. It was amazing, loved the pistachios and the cherries....you are one of the greatest online chef.

CStanford said...

Chef, remove the bacon trips covering the terrine. By the time the terrine has been cooked, pressed, and cooled in the refrigerator the bacon has done its job. The bacon strips will always look a little 'raw' (though they're not) and their mouth-feel in this application isn't particularly pleasing.

Masteb said...

Chef John, you are the BOMB! I made this pate a few months ago and everyone loved it. Didn't use chicken livers, not that I don't love them, e=rather used snow goose breasts, marinated, and sans skin, along with my home cured/smoked pork belly. WOW, it was over the top. This weekend, same base recipe, pork shoulder and bacon, but using duck and goose breast, along with duck hearts and livers. Lined the loaf pan with plastic wrap first, then layered with bacon. Simply amazing. This has become a staple in my charcuterie recipes. Thanks for sharing your expertise!

Dave said...

Pretty delicious. I followed the recipe with the exception of using chicken thigh meat instead of the duck, and adding some fresh thyme. Very tasty.

Unknown said...

Thank you very much for the recipe! I made a wonderful terrine de campagne following your advice (slightly adapted with goose livers and pork belly, nuts, hazelnuts and raisins). I published it on my romanian cooking blog Savori Urbane. Best regards, Oana

NH fish blogger said...

I used to make country pate at a french restaurant where I worked. This is almost exactly the same method that I used.

Sheila Gray said...

Question: How long does the country-style pâté last in the refrigerator? I don't know if I can finish the whole loaf.