Classic Duck Pâté

Classic Duck Pâté © kvalifood.com

Classic duck pâté lined with duck skin, with a forcemeat of duck, salt pork and veal, and breast fillets marinated in cognac. Baked slowly in a water bath and served cold with walnut bread and duck jelly. A proper celebration project.

Ingredients

  • 1 small duck, approx. 1900 g
  • ½ dl cognac, whisky or brandy
  • duck liver
  • duck heart
  • 300 g unsalted salt pork, rind and bones removed
  • 300 g veal, lean
  • salt
  • freshly ground pepper
  • 25 g truffles (optional)
  • 1 tsp herbes de Provence
  • ½ dl duck jelly (optional)

To serve: walnut bread, duck jelly, watercress

Directions

Marinate the breast

Carefully remove the duck skin in one piece. Remove the breast fillets and cut the meat into thin strips. Pour over the spirit and leave to marinate for 2 hours.

Make the forcemeat

Remove all remaining meat from the duck. Mince the duck meat, liver, heart, salt pork and veal through a meat grinder — or dice half of it into very small pieces and pass the other half through the grinder. Combine the coarse and fine meat.

Work the forcemeat with the seasonings, egg, and optionally truffle juice and duck jelly. Chop the truffles roughly (reserve 4 slices for garnish) and mix in. Leave the forcemeat to rest for 2 hours, then stir in the marinade from the breast fillets.

Assemble the pâté

Line a pâté mould with the duck skin, fat side inward. Layer the forcemeat and strips of breast meat — start and finish with forcemeat. Place the truffle slices on top and cover with the remaining duck skin. Cover with a lid or foil.

Bake in a water bath

Bake in a water bath in the oven at 300°F (150°C) for about 1½ hours. Remove the lid for the last half hour. Take the pâté out, cover with foil and leave to cool under a weight.

Serving

Slice the pâté and serve with walnut bread, duck jelly and watercress.

Notes

  • Duck jelly: Simmer the duck carcass with herbs and spices. Strain and reduce to about 2 dl. Add 3 leaves of soaked gelatine. Season with 1 tbsp spirit. Leave to set in a mould for about 3 hours.
  • Dried morels or porcini can be used instead of truffles — soak them and cook in duck jelly for 10 minutes before chopping and mixing into the forcemeat.
  • The pâté can also be made with two wild ducks instead of a farmed duck.
  • If the duck skin is not large enough to cover the entire mould, supplement with fresh pork back fat.