Ultimate Cook Book_ 900 New Recipes, Thousands of Ideas - Bruce Weinstein [53]
Spoon into the prepared pan. Smooth the top, then lay the bay leaves across it in a decorative pattern. Cover tightly with aluminum foil. Place in a larger baking pan and fill with very hot tap water until it comes halfway up the outside of the pâté or loaf pan.
Bake until an instant-read meat thermometer inserted into the middle of the pâté registers 160°F, 1½ to 2 hours. Take the pan out of the water bath and carefully drain off any fat. Cover again with foil, then weight it down with cans or bricks, laying them right on the covered pâté. Refrigerate for at least 1 day, preferably 2 days, or up to 4 days. Remove the weights, foil, and bay leaves to serve. If you’ve baked the terrine in a traditional pan, serve it directly from there; if not, then invert it onto a cutting board, shake vigorously, and wipe with hot, damp paper towels to release the mold, then reinvert it onto a serving plate.
Note: If you can’t find ground veal, use an additional ½ pound ground pork and ¼ pound ground beef, preferably ground chuck.
Variations: Substitute a hearty red wine such as a Zinfandel or Merlot for the Cognac.
Substitute 2 teaspoons chopped tarragon leaves for the thyme; omit the nutmeg and allspice.
Mousse Pâté
This velvety pâté begs for champagne. It’s best made with mild duck livers, but chicken livers are a fine stand-in. Serve with toasted Italian bread or sesame crackers and with pickled onions, pickled green beans, or thinly sliced red onions. You can also sprinkle a few drops of aged balsamic vinegar on each serving. Makes 20 servings
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 medium shallots, minced
2 pounds duck or chicken livers
¾ cup Cognac or brandy
2 teaspoons unflavored powdered gelatin
¼ cup dry white wine
Vegetable or canola oil, for greasing the pan
2/3 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground allspice
½ teaspoon ground mace
½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper,
preferably white pepper
Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the livers and sauté until brown, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes.
Add the Cognac or brandy and bring the mixture to a simmer, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the skillet. (Should the alcohol ignite, cover the skillet immediately and remove it from the heat for 20 seconds, or until the fire is out.) Cook, stirring often, until the Cognac has reduced to a glaze and the livers are cooked through, about 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, sprinkle the gelatin over the wine in a small bowl and set aside to soften for 5 minutes. Lightly oil a 1-quart loaf pan or a 1-quart terrine.
Stir the cream and the softened gelatin mixture into the skillet. Reduce the heat to very low and stir just until the gelatin dissolves, about 5 seconds. Do not let the sauce return to a boil. Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the salt, allspice, mace, and pepper.
Pour the entire contents of the pan into a large food processor fitted with a chopping blade (work in batches if you need to). Process until silky, then pour and smooth into the prepared loaf pan or terrine.
Place in the refrigerator to cool, then cover with plastic wrap and continue chilling until set, at least 6 hours or overnight. To serve, turn the pan or terrine upside down onto a serving platter and unmold the terrine. You may need to wipe the outside of the mold with paper towels doused in hot water to loosen the pâté.
Variations: Substitute dry vermouth for the wine.
Substitute ground cinnamon for the allspice.
Substitute grated nutmeg for the mace.
Add 2 minced garlic cloves with the shallots.
Three-Layer Vegetable Pâté
Here’s a creamy, layered, vegetarian pâté, a silkier version of those sold at deli counters. Makes about 16 servings
12 tablespoons (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, cut into chunks, plus additional for greasing the pan
3 large onions, chopped
6 garlic