Patés and Terrines

Patés and Terrines

On Tuesday, Hot Stove Society Chef Bridget Charters showed us how to make a Paté de Campagne or Country Paté, which is the most rustic French paté, and as Bridget explained, a little like making a meatloaf. But what a marvelous, elegant, and extraordinary meatloaf indeed!

Bridget started the class with an information-packed overview of French patés and terrines explaining the concept of forcemeat, the different types of patés, and what is the difference between paté and terrine. Bridget also confided that her specialty in culinary school was Garde Manger (the classic French “cold kitchen,” which includes all kinds of fancy charcuterie), but she decided she didn’t want a career working in hotels, so she moved onto other things, cullinary-wise. Still, it became clear in the first few minutes of class that her knowledge of classic charcuterie is vast.

lining mold with caul fat
lining mold with caul fat

We learned how to correctly grind the meat and fat (and the correct ratio of meat to fat) using a KitchenAid grinder attachment. The key is keeping everything very cold so the fat doesn’t emulsify into the meat. Bridget had grinder attachment parts such as the grinding discs sitting in a bowl of ice water until she needed them and all the ingredients were run to the freezer or refrigerator to rest in the cold until needed. Also, she showed us how to make the panada, the bread crumb, egg, and cream mixture that binds and adds mouth-feel. Perhaps most fascinating of all, Bridget showed us how to line a mold with lacy caul fat (the lining from a pig’s stomach.) (see the photo above this paragraph)

The really fun part is adding the spices and garnishes. The classmates had the options of adding chicken livers, fatback, rum soaked pistachios, herbs, spices, and other ingredients to the forcemeat. This is where you make your paté truly special and tailored to your own tastes. When the paté is sliced, each slice will be studded with lovely treats. The classmates filled their lined pans, then cooked them in the waiting hot water baths in the ovens. Then they got to take their own paté home with a frame for weighting and chilling it to achieve a nice, dense texture.

Class members made this!
Class members made this!

Look at the gorgeous paté a couple of our attendees came up with! Clearly this is professional enough to be served in a top notch restaurant!

This class was a satisfying combo of gaining professional culinary info with the hands-on fun of getting your (well washed!) hands into a bowl of forcemeat! We’re looking forward to more Cook Like a Pro Paté and Terrine classes in the future!