PÂTÉ EN CROÛTE

This could be a starter, part of a cold buffet or a meal in its own
right with salad, and it’s nowhere near as tricky and time
consuming as it would be if you made the pastry yourself.
1 lb (400–500 g) streaky bacon
3⁄4 lb (350 g) chicken livers or lambs’ liver (or a mixture of both)
1 onion
1 clove of garlic
4 tbsp breadcrumbs
1⁄2 small glass of sherry
2 tsp French mustard
1 tsp nutmeg
Black pepper
1⁄2 lb (225 g) puff pastry
1 egg, beaten
Splash of milk
Method
1. Put about half the bacon and all the liver through a mincer, or
pulse gradually in a food processor until the meat is lumpy and
uneven in texture (like coarse pâté, in other words).
2. Add the finely chopped onion, crushed garlic, breadcrumbs,
sherry, mustard, nutmeg and black pepper to the meat mixture
and squish it all together with your hands.
3. Flatten the remaining bacon rashers as much as you can by
stretching them gently with a blunt knife. Line a lightly oiled
standard-size loaf tin with the flattened rashers, saving 2 or 3
for the top.
4. Put the pâté mixture into the tin as evenly as possible. Fold the
overlapping ends of the bacon rashers across the top and put the
other rashers down the middle. (It doesn’t have to look too perfect;
once it’s wrapped in the pastry any imperfections won’t show.)
5. Cover the tin tightly with a layer of foil then place in a deep-sided
casserole dish half-full of hot water and bake in the oven on Gas
Mark 4 (180ºC) for 30–40 minutes until the meat juices are
faintly pink and the pâté has shrunk away from the sides of the tin.
(You could put the loaf tin straight onto a shelf in the oven rather
than in a water bath, but this way stops the pâté drying out.)
6. Carefully strain off the fat and leave the pâté to cool in the tin.
7. Meanwhile, roll out the puff pastry on a floured surface to
make a square that looks large enough to completely cover the
pâté with a bit left over. Break the egg into a cup or small bowl
and beat with a splash of milk.
8. Ease the pâté out of the tin, place upside down in the middle
of the pastry and brush with beaten egg then fold the pastry
over the pâté as neatly as you can, trimming the ends and
sealing the joins with more of the egg mixture.
9. Turn the pâté the right way up, brush all over with egg and
use the pastry trimmings to make leaves or flower shapes for
decoration, glazing again with the rest of the egg and milk.
10. Place the Pâté en Croûte on a lightly greased oven tray and
bake in a hot oven, Gas Mark 6 (200ºC) for about half an
hour, or until the pastry is a deep golden brown. Cool for a
few minutes before transferring to the fridge.