French · Appetizers

Turkey Country Pâté

Jesse Griffiths

by Jesse Griffiths

Dai Due, The Pedernal Project

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Can we normalize pâté? It’s easy to make, uses up the scraps and offal effectively and it keeps well. Served with some hot mustard, good bread and pickles (homemade cornichons pictured here), it’s a perfect lunch, a starter or even a light dinner (+ salad). I made this one with ground wild hog, pistachios and the heart, liver and gizzard of a wild turkey, but any odd bits and pieces could work, i.e. dove giblets or hog liver. And to be clear, the offal component is quite minimal, so if you are equating pâté to livery flavors, it doesn’t have to be that way.

Tastes
Colors
Techniques
DietaryGluten-Free · Soy-Free · Nut-Free · Fish-Free · Sesame-Free · Shellfish-Free
Yield1 terrine (9×5 in)
Serves8 (~3.5 wt oz)
TimeActive 1h · Inactive 1 day · Total 1 day 1h

Ingredients

Brandy, bourbon, sweet vermouth, port, madeira or marsala, or a combination
1 Medium Oniondiced
1 clove Garliccrushed
2 Large Eggsbeaten
1 lb fatty pork or wild boar (about 30% fat)large dice
Heart, liver and cleaned gizzard of 1 wild turkeylarge dice
6 oz Bacon or Pancetta Porkchopped
6 Thymeleaves
¼ tsp pâté spice(equal parts ground white pepper, clove, nutmeg, ginger, allspice)
⅛ tsp Instacure #1(optional)
¼ cup Parsleychopped
HamDiced
Turkey or other tenderloin,trimmed of silverskin and cut into long strips
Caul fat
12 Baconsliced, thinly

Instructions

••
In a small pot, combine the alcohol with the onion and garlic. Bring to a simmer and cook until almost syrupy and reduced to about ¼ cup. Cool completely in the refrigerator.
Combine the eggs, breadcrumbs and cream in a small bowl and refrigerate.
In a medium bowl, combine the pork, turkey, bacon, thyme, pâté spice, Instacure and salt. Toss well, then lay this out on a baking sheet and place in the freezer for about 20-30 minutes, until partially frozen.
Preheat the oven to 300 °F.
Set up a grinder with a medium plate. Add the onion mixture to the meats and grind once into another chilled bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer.
Using the paddle attachment of the mixer, combine the chilled egg and breadcrumb mix with the ground meats until well combined and sticky, about 1 minute. Add the pistachios, parsley and any other optional garnish. If using strips of tenderloins, set these aside until ready to assemble the pâté.
If desired, line a loaf pan or terrine mold with caul fat, or lay strips of bacon across the mold, leaving enough to completely wrap the pâté.
Spoon the pâté mixture into the mold pressing down with moist hands to eliminate air pockets. If garnishing with tenderloin, place half of the meat mixture down, then add the strips of tenderloin lengthways, then cover with the remaining meat. If using bacon or caul fat, seal the top of the pâté at this point.
Place the pan in a larger pan and fill with enough hot water to come about ⅔ of the way up the sides of the pate. Cover this pan with a lid or foil and place in the oven.
Bake the pâté until the interior is 150 °F, about 1½ - 2 hours. Remove from the water bath immediately and leave to cool to room temperature.
Cut a piece of cardboard to fit on top of the pâté and wrap this with plastic wrap. Once cooled, place this cardboard on top and then weight the pâté with heavy jars or cans. Refrigerate the weighted pâté for at least 24 hours.
Remove the weights and cardboard and invert the pate onto a serving plate.
Chef Tip: If it won’t come out, submerge the loaf pan in a little hot water to loosen the pâté slightly.
Slice cold and serve with cornichons, mustard, fruit chutneys, crusty bread, or toasted bread. Also consider serving the pâté with a salad.
Finished cooking?

Serving & Keeping

Serve: Chilled
Make ahead: This recipe improves after 1–2 days in fridge; and is best within 5 days. Can be frozen (wrap tightly) up to 1 month.
Serve with: Slice cold and serve with cornichons, mustard, fruit chutneys, crusty bread, or toasted bread. Also consider serving the pâté with a salad.