here's Oldjinks's Pate du Maison recipe..
just substitute the pork liver etc. for the beef-a-likes...
Oldjinks's Pate du Maison
1 whole raw pig liver
1 can corned beef
1 can of SPAM – the original – don't tell anybody!!
1 pound cooked ham
1 jar pickled green peppercorns
1/2 tablespoon Sage
1/2 cup tomato ketchup
1/2 envelope green pepper sauce mix (Knorr or MCCormick)
1 cup salted pistachios
dry mixed whole peppercorns to taste
6 small "non-stick" minibread baking pans (or small disposable Aluminum baking pans)
(~ 15 x 7.5 cm and ~ 7 cm deep == 5x3 inches and ~ 3 inches deep..)
for the Aspic:
1-2 tablespoons dry mixed peppercorns
12 whole Bay leaves
1 can/jar whole Green or Red Chile peppers – from the Mexican food section at the grocery store..
1 Qt chicken or beef stock
2 envelopes clear gelatin powder (5-7 grams each)
Bring a pan of water with some salt to a boil and simmer the pigs liver in there for ~ 15 minutes. Let cool and cut the liver in small pieces and mash in the food processor.
Put aside in large mixing bowl for later to mix with the rest of the ingredients.
Cut the ham into pieces and grind slightly finer in the food processor.
Add this to the liver in the mixing bowl.
Separate the corned beef and the SPAM with a fork and then add this also to the mixing bowl.
Take 1 tablespoon of pickled green peppercorns and 1/2 tablespoon of Sage and add this to the mixing bowl.
Mix 1/2 envelope of the green pepper sauce mix with the ketchup and add this to the mixing bowl.
Take a large wooden spoon and mix and combine everything well in the mixing bowl.
If everything is mixed well, add the pistachios through it and mix.
Season with a little salt and pepper if necessary.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and leave in refrigerator for 2-3 hours to get up to taste.
In the mean time make the aspic :
Drain the chili peppers and cut lengthwise into 4 and pull out the seeds.
Take 1 1/2 cup of the chicken broth and reserve for later.
Pour the rest of the broth in a saucepan and add 1 tablespoon mixed whole peppercorns and the Bay leaves;
bring to a boil and let simmer ~ 10-15 minutes. Remove the Bay leaves and reserve them for later.
Keep the broth warm.
Form small loafs of the livermix with your hands (slightly smaller than the bread pans and ~ 1 cm lower – you want some of the aspic at the side and at the top of the pate loafs...) and place them in the pans.
Sprinkle some dry peppercorns on top of the pate loafs and push a little into the levermix.
Place 2 strips of the Chile slices lengthwise on top of the pateetjes and place the pans in a preheated oven at 350F for ~ 20 minutes.
Remove the pans from the oven and place 2 Bay leaves and a few peppercorns on each pate loaf.
Now take the 1½ cups reserved cold chicken stock and stir the gelatin into it – let dissolve for 1-2 minutes.
When dissolved, stir this into the warm chicken broth and bring to a boil quickly – let simmer for ~ 5 minutes.
Pour this on the pateetjes and dump some of the peppercorns in the gelatin on the pate loaf in each Pan!
Place the pans in the refrigerator to cool down and firm up the aspic.
mmmm ... pretty good on a freshly baked baguette ...
I normally leave 1 in the pan for direct consumption and the rest I "Vacuumpack" when they are well cooled down for later use..
Cut the edges off the pate loafs loose from the pan with a knife before you dump them out of the pans.
They keep well in the fridge for ~ 2 weeks or much longer if you freeze them.
I make them often during the Christmas season as a small gift for friends..
then I leave them in the pans – vacuum pack and tie a red bow on them!
