| French pate sounds so luxurious and of course the | | | | flavours. |
| sumptuous pates of the top restaurants are truly | | | | The texture can be rough or smooth as this depends |
| wonderful. However, the delicious everyday 'pate | | | | on how you mince your meat. If this is a problem for |
| maison' found in the local family restaurants and local | | | | you ask your butcher to mince it for you and save you |
| butchers shops, the charcuterie, are neither expensive | | | | time. Otherwise a good food processor with a mincer |
| nor extravagant. | | | | is just the tool for this job. |
| These wonderful tasty pates are not at all difficult to | | | | Traditionally a round or oval earthenware dish is used |
| make at home and you can easily create your own | | | | to cook the French pate. It has straight sides with a |
| 'pate maison' in the comfort zone of your own kitchen. | | | | hole in the top but you can quite easily be adaptable |
| The basics of a good tasty pate is just a mixture of | | | | here and use any casserole dish which is ovenproof |
| minced lean meats such as veal, liver, poultry, or game | | | | or a bread tin and cover it with foil. This is quite |
| which are blended with fat meats such as belly pork, | | | | adequate and does the job wonderfully well. The dish |
| bacon or pork fat. | | | | is usually lined with un-smoked lean bacon which is |
| The seasoning of your pate is very much a matter of | | | | stretched using a heavy knife. |
| personal taste and you can experiment with the garlic, | | | | When cooking the pate the dish should be placed in |
| herbs, wine and spices together with a basic mixture | | | | what is known as a 'bain-marie' which simply means a |
| until you get it to your liking. If you are not sure about | | | | water bath to ensure slow moist cooking. This means |
| the use of wine and garlic go slowly with it and use a | | | | standing the pate in a baking tin filled with hot water |
| small amount until you get the taste you prefer. | | | | which reaches half way up the sides of the dish. |
| You do not have to include wines or spirits in your | | | | A heavy weight is used to press the cooked pate and |
| pate recipes as it is not essential but they are what | | | | although this is not essential, it does give a closer, |
| give the wonderful 'pate maison' of France their subtle | | | | easier texture when slicing. |