Recipe: For Jimmy, AR: Country Pate

Jimmy: the recipe you saw is called Country Pate. All the recipes from the series are in "Julia and Jacques Cooking At Home". The recipe is long, but it does not look too complicated. Try and get a peek at the book, the pictures and side text are useful. Here goes:

Yield: a 6 cup terrine, making 20 or more appetizer slices.

For the spice mix:
1 tsp black peppercorns
24 allspice berries
6 cloves
2 bay leaves
1 tsp dried thyme

For the forcemeat:
3/4 pound veal shoulder, coarsely ground*
2 1/4 pounds pork shoulder (Boston butt or pork butt), coarsely ground*
1 tsp minced garlic
1/3 cup chopped shallots
1/4 ounce dried porcini mushrooms, chopped dry into 1/4 inch pieces (about 3 TBS)
1/3 cup pistachio nuts
1/3 cup white wine
2 Tbs cognac
1 Tbs cornstarch
1 Tbs and 2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp saltpeter (optional)

For assembling the pate
1/2 pound veal shoulder*
4 ounces chicken livers, cleaned and trimmed of sinews
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 Tbs cognac
6 to 8 ounces caul fat (optional)
4 ounces cooked country ham, sliced into long 1/2 inch thick strips
2 large imported bay leaves
1/4 tsp fresh thyme

Equipment: spice grinder, meat grinder, 5 1/2 cup rectangular terrine or equivalent mold or loaf pan , cover for the terrine or tin foil, a roasting pan, a meat thermometer

* You can buy the meats whole and grind them yourself, using the coarse blade of the grinder. For the veal buy a 1 1/4 pound piece of shoulder and divide it into 3/4 pound for grinding and 1/2 pound for cutting into strips for layering.

Mixing the forcemeat and the garnishes for marinating
Using the spice fgrinder or coffee grinder, process the spice mix ingredients into a fine powder. Put the ground meats in a large mixing bowl. Add the spice powder, garlic, shallots, mushroom pieces, pistachio nuts, white wine, cognac, cornstarch, 1 tablespoon of salt and the saltpeter (if using) and mix well with your hands.
Slice the piece of veal into long strips, about 1/2 thick, put them in a small bowl with the chicken livers, and toss with the 2 teaspoons of salt, pepper and cognac. You can now marinate both the forcemeat and the veal strips and livers, in their bowls or other containers. Cover closely with plastic wrap and let sit in the refrigerator for at least 2 days, or as long as 5 days or a week. Or you can assemble the pate in the mold before marinating.

Assembling the pate:
Assembling the pate is the same whether you do it before or after marinating the meat - follow the steps here or arrange the ingredients as you like to create an attractive layered pattern when the pate is sliced.
When the meat is ready to cook, preheat the oven to 325 F.
To line the terrine with optional caul fat, carefully unfurl the lacy sheets - defrost or soften them in tepid water if necessary. Fill the mold. Drape the caul fat into the mold to cover the bottom and sides completely with several inches overhanging the outside all around. Gently press a third of the forcemeat in the bottom of the mold to make an even layer about an inch thick. On top of the meat, arrange about half of the veal strips end to end, to form 2 evenly spaced rows running the length of the mold. Press another layer of forcemeat about 1/2 inch thick, over the veal, and set the chicken livers in a long row down the middle of the mold, laying some of the ham strips end to end to form 2 rows on either side. Press half the remaining forcemeat over livers and ham.
Make 2 rows of the remaining veal, with a row of the remaining ham in the middle. Press the rest of the forcemeat to cover the meat strips, shaping it to form a smooth loaf, mounded in the middle. Turn the overhanging caul fat to cover the pate neatly, trimming off any excess.Place the bay leaves on top of the pate, and sprinkle with thyme over the surface.
If you did not marinate the component parts of the pate before assembling it, you should let it marinate now. Cover the assembled pate tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 3 to 5 days. Before continuing with the recipe preheat the oven to 325 F and remove the plastic wrap.

Cooking the pate:
Cover the pate closely with a double or triple thickness of aluminum foil and crimp tightly around the top of the mold to seal. Set the mold in the roasting pan, place it in the oven and add enough lukearm water to come halfway up the side of the mold. Bake for about 1 3/4 hours making sure that the water never boils, until the internal temperature of the pate registers 150 to 155 F on a meat thermometer. The internal temp will rise about 5 degress after the pate is removed from the oven. Check the temperature near the end of the cooking time, you can poke the thermometer through the foil if using. Lift the mold out of the water and remove from the oven when done. Allow the pate to cool, still covered. Refrigerate at least overnight but preferably for 2 days before serving.

Unmolding and Serving
Run a knife around the pate, against the sides of the mold, and invert over a cutting board or platter so the pate and gelatinized juices drop out. (Dip the mold in hot water for 30 seconds or so if the loaf seems stuck). Scrape away the juices (and save them for stock or soup), and dry the pate with paper towels. Cut off one end piece of the loaf (save it for yourself) and slice the number of pieces you want to serve, 1/2 to 1 inch thick. Wrap the remining pate well in plastic wrap and return to the refrigerator. It will keep for 10 days or so.
To serve, line a platter or individual plates with lettuce leaves and arrange the slices on top. Overlap the slices if compaosing a large platter; a single slice is sufficient for first course servings. Garnish with black olives and cornichons, and serve with Dijon-style mustard and crusty bread on the side