Fish Pâté Guillaume Tirel

By corlear

Ingredients

• 1 pound raw fish (hake, John Dory, sole or pike)
• 4 egg whites
• salt
• cayenne pepper
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 4 cups fresh white bread crumbs
• 2 whole eggs
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh tarragon
• 4 tablespoons minched parsley
• 1 tablespoon minched chives
• freshly ground white pepper
• 4 raw 1/3-pound fillets of John Dory or gray sole
• fennel fronds
• large thin sliches of fresh pork fatback
• 8 asparagus tips

Details

Servings 12

Preparation

Step 1

Grined the pound of fish, using the fine blade of a meat grinder. Work in two of the egg whites and season lightly with salt and cayenne. Force the mixture through a very fine sieve into a bowl, Set the bowl in another one filled with cracked ice in order to keep the fish mixture very cold. Gradually beat in the heavy cream, reserving 2 tablespoons of the cream. When this first stuffing, which may be called a mousseline, is ready, make the other one.

Put the bread crumbs into another bowl, and blend them into a smooth paste with the whole eggs, the tarragon, parsley, chives and a little salt and pepper. Whip the reserved 2 tablespoons of heavy cream and stir into the mixture.

Beat the remaining 2 egg whites lightly and reserve them.

Season the 4 fillets with salt and pepper. Line a large (about 10-cup) rectangular loaf pan or pâté mold first with fennel fronds and then with sheets of fresh pork fatback; the pork fat should hang over the long sides of the mold. Spread half of the first stuffing, or mousseline, over the pork fat. Brush two of the John Dory, or sole, fillets with beaten egg white and lay them on the mousseline.

Spread about half of the second stuffing over the fillets and top it with the asparagus tips dipped into more beaten egg white. Now spread the remaining half of the second stuffing over the asparagus tips, coat it with more beaten egg white, lay the remaining 2 fillets on it, and paint these too with beaten egg white.

Now spread the remaining mousseline over the fillets and cover the top with the overlapping slices of the pork fat. Make sure that the pâté is well covered by the pork fat.

Set the mold or loaf pan into a baking dish containing 2 inches of water and cook in a preheated 350° F oven for about 1½ hours.

This pâté may be eaten warm or cold.