France · Meat Dishes
Homemade Strasbourg-style Pâté en Croûte
A home kitchen adaptation of the classic Strasbourg pâté — no foie gras, but the same principle: spiced, cognac-scented forcemeat baked inside a golden pastry crust and sliced cold.
Ingredients
- chicken livers, trimmed and cleaned400 g
- chicken breast300 g
- pork neck or fatty shoulder300 g
- heavy cream, 30% fat150 ml
- eggs2
- white onion1
- garlic2 cloves
- cognac or brandy2 tbsp
- truffle oil1 tsp
- ground nutmeg0.5 tsp
- dried thyme0.5 tsp
- fine salt1.5 tsp
- black pepper0.5 tsp
- fine breadcrumbs3 tbsp
- all-butter puff pastry400 g
- egg1
Method
- 1Cook the aromatics. Heat oil, cook onion 8–10 min until golden, add garlic 1 min. Cool completely.
- 2Build the forcemeat. Grind chicken and pork (medium die). Blend livers smooth. Combine, add cream, eggs, cooled onion, cognac, truffle oil and the spices (nutmeg, thyme, salt, pepper). Fry a test spoonful. Finally stir in the breadcrumbs: they soak up the liquid from the livers and cream, so the cold slices hold together.
- 3Line a 25×10 cm loaf tin with 2/3 of pastry (3–4 mm thick), 2 cm overhang. Chill 15 min.
- 4Fill firmly, smooth top. Cover with remaining pastry, seal edges. Egg wash. Make 2 steam holes, insert foil chimneys.
- 5Bake at 180°C for 60–70 min until deep golden. Internal temp must reach 72°C.
- 6Cool 30 min in tin, then chill minimum 6 hours (overnight better). Slice cold.