Pork-Liver Pâté (Master Recipe)

By corlear

Terrine de Foie de Porc

To translate a terrine de foie de porc into familiar language, it is like the very best liverwurst; you could easily mistake it for pâté de foie gras. Simple to make, it consists only of liver, pork fat, flavorings, plus an egg and either rice or bread crumbs to bind everything together. Of all the mixtures, this necessarily contains the most fat; if you used any less you would not achieve perfection. Serve slices of pâté and French bread or toast as a first course; it is also delicious as a spread for sandwiches or cocktail appetizers.

For variation, see Pork and Liver Pâté with Veal or Chicken (Pâté de Campagne).

Ingredients

• The pâté dish: a 6-cup terrine or baking dish (rectangular, round, oval) or bread pan
• A pan of water
• Sheets of pork fat to line pâté dish
• 1/2 lb. fresh pork fatback or fat from outside a loin roast (1 cup)
• 5 to 6 ounces liver (pork, beef, or calf)
• ¼ cup rice panade
• A meat grinder
• An electric mixer with large bowl
• 1 egg
• 1 Tb Cognac
• 2 1/2 tsp salt
• Either 1 tsp épices fines OR 1/2 tsp pepper and big pinches of allspice, nutmeg, and cayenne
• A piece of fresh pork fat to cover the meat
• 1-ounce truffle, minced, and its juice (optional)
• 1 imported bay leaf
• A branch of thyme, or ¼ tsp dried thyme
• Sufficient aluminum foil to cover pâté with 1 inch extra all around
• A cover for the dish, or a pastry sheet and weight
• Useful: a meat thermometer

Details

Servings 18

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and place rack in middle level. Set pâté dish in pan to check water level: it should come 2/3 up outside of dish. Remove dish and place pan of water in oven. Line bottom and sides of pâté dish with strips of pork fat ¼ inch thick.

Put the pork fat, liver, and rice panade through the finest blade of meat grinder and into the bowl. Beat in the rest of the ingredients. Saute a spoonful and taste; correct seasoning as necessary. Turn mixture into pâté dish.

Cover with the fat, lay the thyme and bay leaf on top, and then the foil. Cover, and set in pan of water in oven. Bake for 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours or longer; pâté is done at a temperature of 160 degrees, or when juices and fat surrounding pâté are clear yellow with no trace of rosy color (press pâté with a spatula to check on this).

When done, remove pâté dish from pan, discard water, and return dish to pan. Cover with board, or pan and weight (to press meat together and prevent air pockets) and let cool to room temperature. Remove board and weights and refrigerate.

Serving:
Pâté will improve in flavor after 2 to 3 days. Cut slices 1/8 to 1/2 inch thick directly from dish; or heat bottom of dish gently, run a knife around between pâté and dish, and unmold on a serving plate or board.

Storage:
Pâté will keep nicely for 8 to 10 days under refrigeration. It may be frozen, and results are more successful for liver pâtés than for meat pâtés.