AI-generated image
Pâté en croûte
Pâté en croûte: Lyon-style pork and veal terrine baked in a golden pastry crust, sliced cold
FrenchLyon's charcuteries display pâté en croûte like jewellery: a tall loaf of crisp, golden pastry wrapped around a coarse terrine of pork and veal. A slice wrapped in paper is a picnic and lunchbox luxury, and the whole loaf is a Sunday project eaten over several days. The common mistake is undercooking it for fear of drying it out: as it is made with minced pork, the centre must reach 71 °C, so use a probe thermometer. The classic farce has a splash of cognac; it's optional here, and apple juice or extra stock is the alcohol-free swap. Chef's tip: chill the filled, unbaked loaf for 30 minutes before baking so the pastry keeps its shape and pattern.
- Total time
- 150 min
- Difficulty
- hard
- Serves
- 12
Ingredients
For the pastry
- 1 ⅛ lb plain flourplus extra for rolling
- 7 oz cold butterdiced
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 eggs1 for the dough, 1 beaten for glazing
- ½ cup cold water
For the filling
- 1 ⅛ lb pork shouldercoarsely minced
- 9 oz pork bellyskinless, coarsely minced
- 9 oz veal or chicken thighdiced 1 cm
- 2 shallotsfinely chopped
- 2 cloves garliccrushed
- 3 tbsp fresh parsleychopped
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp cognac or brandy (optional)contains alcohol; use apple juice instead
- 1 ⅜ oz shelled pistachios (optional)
Shop this recipe on Amazon
What you'll need
Spices & pantry
Fresh ingredients (9)
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Rub 7 oz cold butter into 1 ⅛ lb plain flour and 1 tsp salt until it looks like breadcrumbs. Beat 1 eggs with ½ cup cold water, add and bring together into a firm dough. Wrap and chill for 1 hour.
60 minStep 2: In a large bowl, mix 1 ⅛ lb pork shoulder, 9 oz pork belly, 9 oz veal or chicken thigh, 2 shallots, 2 cloves garlic, 3 tbsp fresh parsley, 1 tsp dried thyme, ½ tsp quatre-épices or ground allspice, 2 tsp salt, 1 tsp black pepper, 1 egg, 2 tbsp cognac or brandy and 1 ⅜ oz shelled pistachios. Fry a teaspoon of the mixture until cooked, taste and adjust the seasoning.
Step 3: Heat the oven to 400°F (350°F fan). Line a 1 kg loaf tin (or pâté mould) with baking paper. Roll two-thirds of the pastry to 4 mm thick and line the tin, leaving 2 cm hanging over the edges.
Step 4: Pack in the filling, pressing out air pockets and doming it slightly. Roll out the rest of the pastry for a lid, brush the edges with 1 eggs, lay it on and crimp to seal. Cut two 1 cm holes in the top and put a rolled foil chimney in each. Chill for 30 minutes.
30 minStep 5: Brush the lid with the rest of the beaten egg. Bake for 15 minutes, then lower to 350°F (325°F fan) and bake for 60–75 minutes more, until the pastry is deep golden and a thermometer pushed into the centre reads 160°F (165°F if you used chicken thigh instead of veal). Cover loosely with foil if it browns too fast.
90 minStep 6: Cool in the tin for 1 hour, then lift out and refrigerate overnight before slicing. It keeps 4 days in the fridge; pack slices with an ice pack.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 480 kcal
- Protein
- 22 g
- Carbs
- 24 g
- Fat
- 33 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does pâté en croûte take?
- About 150 minutes in total: 60 minutes to prepare and 90 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 12 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of cold butter?
- The same weight of ghee or coconut oil (for frying and most baking).
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Tteokgalbi
Tteokgalbi is rib meat chopped finely, pressed back into neat slabs and grilled, so it's soft enough to eat without struggling with a bone. Two places in South Jeolla claim it: Damyang, the bamboo county, where all-beef patties come with rice steamed in bamboo tubes, and Gwangju's Songjeong district, whose restaurant street near the railway station mixes beef with pork. This home version uses minced beef and pork, seasoned with soy, garlic and pear, then brushed with a soy and honey glaze as it cooks. Serve with rice, lettuce and a few banchan; leftovers are good cold in a lunchbox. Chef's tip: slap the mince against the bowl for a few minutes; it turns sticky and the patties hold together on the grill without any breadcrumbs.
Korean
Pork souvlaki
This is a pork recipe. Walk through any Greek town after dark, from Athens to Thessaloniki, and the smell of souvlaki stands drifts down the street; cubes of pork shoulder grilled on thin skewers are the country's favourite cheap supper, eaten standing up or at a plastic-table taverna. At home you marinate the meat in lemon, olive oil, garlic and dried oregano, grill it hard and fast, and pile it on warm pitta with tzatziki, tomato and red onion. Chef's tip: cut the pork into even 2.5 cm cubes and leave a little fat on; lean loin dries out, shoulder stays juicy over high heat.
Greek
Char siu
Hanging in long glossy strips in the windows of Guangzhou's siu mei shops, char siu is the roast pork Cantonese families pick up on the way home to put on rice, noodles or into steamed buns. The outside is lacquered, sweet and a little charred at the edges; the inside stays juicy, savoury and faintly scented with five-spice. Shoulder (pork butt) is the cut to use, because its marbling keeps the strips moist through a hot oven. Marinate it overnight in the fridge, roast it the next day and eat it warm with steamed rice and blanched greens, or cold in fried rice and noodle soups. Chef's tip: save the honey for the last ten minutes; brushed on at the start it burns black long before the pork is cooked.
Chinese