Pork Pate Recipe

This pate makes a nice change from typical liver pates. It is very simple to make your own pate, and this recipe produces a really tasty coarse pate that goes very well with a hot crusty French bread. The preparation time is very short, but it needs a long, slow cook to bring out all the flavors and tenderize the meat.

This makes a wonderful, creative appetizer or part of a summer picnic. Juniper berries are becoming harder to find though, so if you can’t find them, just use cranberries. As an appetizer, this will serve 6 - 10 people. I prefer to make this in individual terrines, but you can make it in one large one if you prefer. Either way, it is best cooked in a large container and then placed in the smaller ones to chill and serve.

This way of making pate is a French tradition going back hundreds of years, and if you visit a French butcher, they will almost certainly have their own version of this pate for sale. The French name is “Rilletttes de Tours,” and it is said to originate in the Loire Valley. Home made pate is so much better than store bought, it is very much worth the effort. Preheat the oven to 275F

You will need:

• A sharp knife
• A cutting board
• A large bowl
• A sieve
• 8 small terrines and 1 large one for the cooking

Ingredients:

• 2 lb lean belly pork
• 8oz back pork fat
• 4 oz dry white wine
• ½ teaspoon mace
• 10 black peppercorns
• 10 juniper berries (or cranberries)
• 2 clove garlic, crushed
• A handful fresh thyme (or a heaped teaspoon dried)
• 1 heaped teaspoon salt

Take a sharp knife and cut the pork into small pieces and place in a bowl. Cut the fat into small pieces as well and add to the bowl. Crush the garlic, berries and peppercorns and add with the salt, thyme and mace. Mix well, add the wine, mix again and transfer to the cooking terrine, cover and place in the oven. Cook at this low heat for four hours.