This is a recipe I made this past Sunday.  It’s a very easy recipe to make and doesn’t require a lot of specialized equipment.  It is a great place to start if you’ve always wanted to make your own pate, but weren’t sure of the process.  To have a milder liver flavor, use duck or chicken livers.  For a stronger liver flavor, use pork liver.  If you don’t have a terrine, you could try to make do with a loaf pan covered in foil for the lid.  It keeps for about 5 days afterwards, but you could cover it in duck fat to extend the life.

Green Peppercorn Pate de Campagne

By Nick Benard

 

1 lb ground pork

½ lb calf’s liver, deveined and diced

6 oz streaky bacon

8 oz baby Portobello mushrooms, cleaned and diced

½ C diced onion

4 minced garlic cloves

1 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp dried tarragon

1 1/2 tbsp green peppercorns in brine (drained)

1/4 C brandy

2 tbsp red wine vinegar

2 tsp salt

¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Line a 5 cup terrine with the bacon slices, sticking to the sides.  In a large mixing bowl, blend the mushrooms, onions, herbs and spices (except for salt) together.  Pour in brandy and red wine vinegar and allow mushrooms to soak for 5 minutes.  Add ground pork and liver, then blend to combine into homogenous mixture.  In a small skillet, fry a small meatball of the forcemeat mixture.  Taste for seasoning, keeping in mind that the terrine will be served cold and will need to be seasoned more aggressively than a warm dish.  Adjust seasoning if necessary.  Fill terrine with forcemeat, pushing firmly to fill mold.  Cover with remaining strips of bacon.  Rap the terrine against your counter top to push out any final air bubbles.

Bring a kettle of water to a boil.  Put the filled terrine in a larger pan that will function as a bain marie.  Fill the larger pan with boiling water, coming half-way up the sides of the pan.  Bake for 45-60 minutes, until internal temperature comes to 160? F.  Remove from water and allow to cool at room temperature.  The pate will need to sit in the refrigerator overnight.  Weigh the top of the terrine, so it compacts overnight.  I wrap a large, square bottle of olive oil in plastic wrap and place it on top in the fridge.

Serve with blood plum paste or spicy plum chutney on toast.