Country Pate'

While puppy sitting Teddy, I have been pouring through blogs. I found this recipe at Mary's blog: One Perfect Bite . She made it as a meatloaf but I chose to make it into a pate'. I make all sorts of pates so when I see a new recipe, I rush to try it. I am squeezing as much cooking in as I can while keeping an eye on Teddy at the same time. This is a very easy recipe and a great country pate'. I had almost everything I needed so I was good to go. I altered the recipe a bit.


I only had ground veal and beef. Mary's recipe called for pork and I would certainly add that the next time. I used 2 pounds of ground beef and 1 pound of veal in this recipe. I added 4 cloves of minced garlic and an assortment of fresh herbs from my garden. Basil, tarragon, rosemary, thyme and parsley.


I added a finely diced medium white onion, 2 teaspoons of sea salt, 1 tablespoon of cracked black pepper and 3 tablespoons of dark mustard.


Add 1 cup of panko breadcrumbs and 1 egg.


Mix this by hand until it is thoroughly combined. Mix it very, very well. It will become sticky. You want this to be very dense.


Line the bottom of your pate' pan or loaf pan with 4 bay leaves. I also sprayed it with Pam.


Pack the pan tightly with the meat mixture. Press it down to expel air pockets.


Cover the top with bacon.


Oops! First pour about 1/3 cup of port over the top. Poke holes so the port seeps in.


Place the lid on the tureen or cover your loaf pan with foil and cut a vent in the top. Bake it at 325 for about an hour and a half or until it reaches an internal temp of 170 degrees.


Here it is straight from the oven. You can see there is significant shrinkage. Leave it in the juice, cover and refrigerate overnight. The flavor will continue to intensify and some of the liquid will be reabsorbed.


While the pate's is "curing", I thought I would show you how the pup is spending her days.


Hey Teddy....your mascara is running.


She is beyond bored! She lays in front of the fan all day. That is my computer cord behind her. I sit next to her and my husband is on the chair. We take her out whenever she feels the need to move around.


Back to the pate'. Here it is the next day. You notice that fat has formed around the edges. Some people like to eat it with the fat. I scrape mine off. Underneath, gelatin has formed. You can dice it in cubes and serve it with the pate' if you wish.


Remove it from the pan. Hey, no one said pate' is attractive!


Slice it into 1/4 inch slices. I like to serve it with cornichons, pickled onions and dark mustard. You can add all sorts of other things too. Above you can see sliced radishes, brie, fresh mozzarella with pesto, Westphalian ham, salami, olives and roasted peppers.


Perfect country pate' texture.


Serve it with your bread of choice and it is a meal.