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.

120 min✻8 servings✻365 kcal
Homemade Strasbourg-style Pâté en Croûte

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

  1. 1Cook the aromatics. Heat oil, cook onion 8–10 min until golden, add garlic 1 min. Cool completely.
  2. 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.
  3. 3Line a 25×10 cm loaf tin with 2/3 of pastry (3–4 mm thick), 2 cm overhang. Chill 15 min.
  4. 4Fill firmly, smooth top. Cover with remaining pastry, seal edges. Egg wash. Make 2 steam holes, insert foil chimneys.
  5. 5Bake at 180°C for 60–70 min until deep golden. Internal temp must reach 72°C.
  6. 6Cool 30 min in tin, then chill minimum 6 hours (overnight better). Slice cold.