Pate en Croute

Terrine wrapped in golden pastry, serve with a green leafy salad and pickles. This dish is a great entree or light lunch.

Ingredients

600 g veal fillet, finely diced

250 g lean pork, finely diced

200 g streaky bacon, finely diced

large pinch of ground cloves

large pinch of allspice

finely grated zest of 1 lemon

2 tablespoons brandy

2 bay leaves

2 teaspoons butter

1 large garlic clove, crushed

1 onion, finely chopped

200 g chestnut mushrooms, finely chopped

3 tablespoons finely chopped parsley

1 pkt puff pastry 

1 egg, lightly beaten

Mix the veal, pork, streaky bacon, cloves, allspice, lemon zest and brandy together and stir well,

add the bay leaves and then cover and leave to marinate in the fridge overnight.

Melt the butter in a frying pan and add the garlic and onion. Cook over low heat for 10 minutes, then add the mushrooms and cook for a further 10 minutes, until they are softened and the liquid from the mushrooms has evaporated. Stir in the parsley, remove from the heat and leave to cool.

Remove the bay leaves from the marinated meat. Add the cold mushroom mixture to the raw meat,

season well and mix together thoroughly.

Preheat the oven to 200°C

Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface into a 38 cm square, trim the edges and keep the excess for decoration. Place the meat mixture onto the middle of the pastry, shaping it into a rectangle about 30 cm long. Brush the edges of the pastry with a little beaten egg. Fold the pastry over the meat as if you were wrapping a parcel. Place on a baking tray, seam side down. 

DECORATE the parcel with shapes cut from the pastry scraps and brush all over with beaten egg,

Cook on the middle shelf of the oven for 15 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 180°C  and cook for 1-11/4 hours, or until the filling is cooked and the pastry golden brown. Cool completely before serving in slices with pickles.