Chef John's Pate de Campagne
Category: appetizers-and-snacks
By Chef John

I realize making this pate may seem like quite a production, but if you enjoy charcuterie, this would make for a very fun, beautiful, and quite delicious project.

Ingredients:
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 ¼ pounds boneless pork shoulder, cut into 1-inch cubes
6 ounces duck leg meat
4 ounces fatty bacon, chopped
4 ounces chicken livers, roughly chopped
1 small yellow onion, diced
1  shallot, thinly sliced
⅓ cup chopped Italian parsley
¼ cup cognac
5 teaspoons kosher salt
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
⅛ teaspoon pink curing salt (such as Instacure™ #1)  (Optional)
½ cup heavy whipping cream
⅓ cup dry bread crumbs
2  eggs
½ cup  dried cherries  (Optional)
½ cup shelled whole pistachios  (Optional)
8 strips bacon, or as needed

Directions:
Combine cloves, nutmeg, ginger, and cayenne pepper in a small bowl to make spice mixture. Place pork shoulder, duck meat, chopped bacon, chicken livers, onion, shallot, parsley, cognac, salt, garlic, pepper, 3/4 teaspoon spice mixture, and pink curing salt in a large bowl. Mix thoroughly until evenly distributed. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate about 2 hours. Whisk cream, bread crumbs, and eggs together in a bowl. Transfer pork mixture to a rimmed baking sheet lined with a silicone mat or parchment. Freeze for 15 to 20 minutes to facilitate grinding the meat. Grind pork mixture into a bowl using the meat-grinder attachment of a stand mixer. Add dried cherries and pistachios. Add the cream mixture; fold gently until just combined. Arrange bacon strips crosswise in a 9x5-inch loaf pan, letting ends hang over the edges of the pan. Trim some strips to fit the ends of the pan. Fill pan to the top with the ground pork mixture; smooth the top. Cover surface with strips of bacon. Fold side bacon piece edges over the top. Cover with a piece of parchment cut to fit the top of the pan; wrap tightly with heavy duty aluminum foil. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Transfer pan to a deep pot or Dutch oven. Pour in hot tap water to reach 1/2 to 2/3 of the way up the side of the pan. Cover. Bake in the preheated oven until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center reads 155 degrees F (68 degrees C), 1 3/4 to 2 hours. Transfer pan to a paper-towel lined surface to absorb any moisture. If mixture has risen above the top edge of the pan, press it down with a heavy pan. Remove the aluminum foil, leaving the parchment paper on top. Transfer pan to a paper-towel-lined baking dish. Cut a piece of cardboard to be slightly smaller than the top of the pan. Wrap with aluminum foil and place on the parchment paper. Press down with weights like canned food. Refrigerate at least 8 hours to chill and compress the pate. To unmold the pate, pour very hot water into a large bowl. Dip mold into hot water for 1 to 2 seconds. Turn out onto a paper-towel-lined dish; chill again before slicing.

Prep time: 1 hr 10 mins
Cook time: 1 hr 45 mins
Total time: 13 hrs 10 mins
Yields: 1 9x5-inch loaf pan

Calories: 249.5
Fat: 14.7 g
Saturated fat: 5.6 g
Carbohydrates: 10.6 g
Sugars: 4 g
Dietary fiber: 1.6 g
Protein: 15 g
Cholesterol: 113.5 mg
Sodium: 1120.6 mg