Pâté En Croûte

Preparation

1. Step 1

   To make the dough, in a large bowl, mix together the flour and salt. Scatter the butter over the flour mixture, then squeeze it with your fingers, working it into the flour but still leaving some chunks. Add the eggs and work the dough gently with your hands until malleable. Slowly pour in half the water, mixing it in with your hands. When the water has been absorbed, work in the rest of the water. The dough should be firm and uneven looking.

   Step 2

   Transfer the dough to a floured work surface. Using a rolling pin, flatten the dough into a rectangle. Wrap the rectangle in plastic wrap and place in the fridge for at least 1 hour while you work on your terrine filling.

   Step 3

   To make the filling, in a large bowl, combine the ground meats, garlic, parsley, salt, pepper, mace, and brandy. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, eggs, and cream until well blended. Add the cream mixture to the meat mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until you have one homogenous mix.

   Step 4

   When the dough has rested for 1 hour, preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C). Then, on a floured work surface, roll out the dough into a rectangle about 1/4 inch (6 mm) thick. This is the most technical part, because you want to roll enough dough to cover the terrine. We bake this dish in a 10 by 4 by 3 1/4-inch (25 by 10 by 8-cm) Le Creuset pot, but any enameled cast-iron pot of similar size will work well. Place the Creuset on the dough, denting the dough to imprint the size. Then cut out the dough so it is a little larger than the dented pattern, adding flaps on the two short ends (see drawing). Carefully lift up the dough and place it in the Creuset, pressing it down gently. Reserve the extra dough.

   Step 5

   Spoon the meat mixture into the dough-lined Creuset, spreading it evenly and smoothing the top. Fold the dough over the top of the meat mixture so it covers it completely. It doesn’t have to look perfect where the sides meet. Using the extra dough, cut out a strip the length of the pot and lay it across the middle of the terrine to close the seam (as the dough will expand from the heat while baking).

   Step 6

   Brush the dough with the egg wash. You can use any remaining dough to make decorative leaves, letters, or whatever you want and put them on top. Be sure to brush them with the wash, too.

   Step 7

   In the middle of the dough, cut a quarter-size hole using an apple corer or a knife. Using the handle of a wooden spoon as a guide, make a small tube of aluminum foil. This is your chimney for the steam. The chimney is your first rule of pâté en croûte. Trust the chimney! Or, trust you will be cleaning the oven.

   Step 8

   Place in the hot oven and bake for 35 to 40 minutes. The pâté is ready when an instant-read thermometer inserted through the chimney hole registers 158°F (70°C). Burnt crust or half-cooked meat is not appetizing, so a thermometer is key here.

   Step 9

   In the meantime, bloom the gelatin sheets in a bowl of cool water to cover for 5 to 10 minutes, or until they soften and swell. Put a pot over medium-high heat and add the stock and sherry. Bring the stock mixture to a boil, season generously with salt and pepper, and remove from the heat. Gently squeeze the gelatin sheets, add to the stock mixture, and whisk until completely dissolved.

   Step 10

   Remove the pâté en croûte from the oven and let cool for 45 minutes. Carefully pour the stock mixture into the foil chimney. Let the pâté cool completely before slicing and serving.