Gordon's rustic pâté
An impressive starter from Gordon Ramsay, that's surprisingly simple to put together. Make it a few days ahead to allow the flavours to develop
Difficulty and servings
Makes 1 litre
Preparation and cooking times
Prep 50 mins
Cook 1 hr
Plus marinating
- Prepare duck and chicken breasts and the pork fillet by trimming off any sinews and fat. Smash the garlic with the back of a knife to crush roughly. Mix the meats in a bowl with the garlic, thyme, Armagnac, oil and pepper (no salt at this stage). Cover and marinate in the fridge for 1-24 hrs, depending on depth of flavour that's required. Drain the meats from the marinade, which can be discarded, and cut into chunks of about 1.5cm. Heat the goose fat or butter in a large frying pan and fry the meats for 2 mins on each side to brown. Discard the garlic and thyme sprigs. Season and cool.
- Grease a 1kg terrine or loaf tin well. Arrange strips of bacon on the base and up both sides with enough overhanging to fold over. You will have a double layer of bacon on the base. Set aside.
- Soften the sausagemeat in a big bowl with a wooden spoon, then work in the cream and chopped herbs. To check the seasoning, shape a tbsp of the mixture into a patty and fry in a little oil for 2-3 mins, then taste and add more salt and pepper to the bowl, if needed.
- Mix the marinated meats into the sausagemeat. Scoop the mixture into the terrine, pressing down well and mounding up on the top. Pull the overhanging bacon strips up and over to cover.
- Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Double-wrap the terrine top in foil, pressing well into the sides and twisting the ends to seal. Place in a large, deep-sided roasting pan and pour in boiling water to reach halfway up the sides. Bake for 1 hr, until the meat feels firm on top when pressed. Remove from the oven and leave to cool, then chill overnight.
- To serve, place the terrine in a pan of just-boiled water and leave for 3 mins to soften the bacon. Loosen the sides with a flat knife and ease the terrine out onto a board. Serve in slices with pear compote, some winter salad leaves and chunks of crusty bread.
Freezing
Leftover pâté can be open-frozen in slices, then wrapped well in freezer film. Use within one month.
Marinating ahead
Marinating the meats ahead gives them an extra-rich flavour. If you have no armagnac, then use cognac, calvados or even dry sherry. Marinate the meats for anything from 1-24 hours. The longer you marinate, the deeper the flavour will be.
The best sausagemeat
Gordon's neat cheat for this one is to use top-quality sausagemeat (at least 85 per cent meat, such as Duchy Original Cumberland sausage), mixed with lots of chopped fresh herbs and double cream.
Using a loaf tin
Gordon used a traditional white-glazed French terrine mould, but a 1-litre metal loaf tin gives the same capacity, although it may be slightly wider.
Know how
The pâté will keep in the fridge for 2-3 days. To freeze, allow to cool, wrap well in cling film and freeze for up to 1 month. Defrost in the fridge for 24 hours.
Getting the perfect seasoning
You should check the seasoning before baking. Remember that cold foods need a little more flavour than hot ones.
Varying the meats
If you like, you can vary the meats - try spicy Merguez or garlicky Toulouse instead of Cumberland sausagemeat. Or, for a more traditional, smooth pâté texture, ask your butcher to mince together 350g each pork, beef and veal - you could add some finely chopped duck liver, too. And, for the ultimate in luxury, Gordon love to add pieces of foie gras.
With less bacon
For a thinner layer of bacon, use Italian pancetta instead of streaky bacon.
642 kcalories, protein 37g, carbohydrate 9g, fat 49 g, saturated fat 21g, fibre 0g, salt 3.56 g
Recipe from Good Food magazine, January 2006.
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http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/2385/
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Ingredients
- 200g skinless duck breasts
- 200g skinless chicken breasts
- 150g pork tenderloins fillet
- 2 plump garlic cloves , peeled
- 3-4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 3 tbsp Armagnac brandy
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp goose fat or butter, plus extra for greasing terrine
- about 250g thinly sliced rindless streaky bacon (dry cure is best) or pancetta
- 1kg best quality sausagemeat (at least 85% meat)
- 150ml double cream
- 4 tbsp chopped parsley
- 2 tbsp chopped tarragon
- 1 tbsp chopped thyme or rosemary
Search Good Food
This luscious compote, from Gordon Ramsay, can be made with a variety of fruits - try apple, mango or even figs. It goes fabulously well with his rustic pâté
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Difficulty and servings
Makes 1 litre
Preparation and cooking times
Prep 50 mins
Cook 1 hr
Plus marinating
Impressive-looking starter
Ingredients
- 200g skinless duck breasts
- 200g skinless chicken breasts
- 150g pork tenderloins fillet
- 2 plump garlic cloves , peeled
- 3-4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 3 tbsp Armagnac brandy
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp goose fat or butter, plus extra for greasing terrine
- about 250g thinly sliced rindless streaky bacon (dry cure is best) or pancetta
- 1kg best quality sausagemeat (at least 85% meat)
- 150ml double cream
- 4 tbsp chopped parsley
- 2 tbsp chopped tarragon
- 1 tbsp chopped thyme or rosemary
642 kcalories, protein 37g, carbohydrate 9g, fat 49 g, saturated fat 21g, fibre 0g, salt 3.56 g
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