The Decadent Delicacy: Pate, A Culinary Exploration

Pate, or pâté in French, is a paste, loaf, or pastry filled with forcemeat, which is ground meat from pork, beef, poultry, fish, or offal. It is often associated with luxury and French cuisine, but variations exist worldwide. Pate can be served hot or cold, and chilling it for a few days can enrich its flavour. The term pâté is derived from the Latin pasta, meaning paste or dough, and it is traditionally served baked in a crust or moulded as a terrine.

Pate's origins and history

Pâté, a French dish associated with luxury and wealth, has a long history that dates back to the Romans. The word 'pâté' comes from the Latin 'pasta', meaning paste or dough, and the French 'pâte', meaning pastry. Interestingly, the English word 'pastry' also shares the same Latin root.

Both the Dictionnaire de l'Académie française and the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) trace the term back to the 12th century. The former defines pâté as a "culinary preparation consisting of minced meat or fish surrounded by dough and baked in the oven", while the OED describes it as "a pie or pastry usually filled with finely minced meat, fish, vegetables, etc."

The Romans were known to make pâté, typically using pork as the main ingredient, although they also included marinated and spiced birds' tongues. In the Middle Ages, pâté recipes became more varied, with meats such as pork, poultry, game, or fish cooked in pastry, known as pâté en croûte. By the 19th century, the pastry case was often omitted, giving rise to the style known as pâté en terrine, or simply terrine, which is now commonly used interchangeably with pâté.

Over time, pâté has evolved and spread beyond France, with variations of the dish popping up all over the world. It is a versatile dish that can be served hot or cold, baked in a crust, or moulded as a terrine. Pâté can be made with a variety of ingredients, including meat, poultry, fish, vegetables, and spices, and can range from inexpensive appetizers to expensive gourmet dishes.

How to make pate

How to Make Pâté

Pâté is a forcemeat, traditionally made with liver, mixed with wine and spices until it cooks down into a spreadable texture. It can also be made with other meats, such as pork, venison, chicken, fish, duck, or other game, and sometimes with vegetables. Pâté can be baked in a crust (en croûte) or moulded as a terrine.

Ingredients:

• Chicken livers
• Onion
• Butter
• Cooking sherry
• Black pepper
• Mace
• Salt
• Bread, crackers, celery, or radish slices to serve

Method:

• Combine the livers and sliced onion in a medium saucepan. Pour in about 3 cups of water and bring to a boil.
• Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer until the liver is tender (around 20 minutes).
• Remove from the heat, drain, and discard the onion. Remove and discard any hard portions of the livers.
• Process the cooked livers in a food processor until smooth.
• Add the butter, chopped onion, sherry, salt, pepper, and mace; pulse to blend.
• Form the mixture into a mound with lightly greased hands. Place on a serving platter, cover, and chill for at least 1 hour before serving.

Tips:

• Chill the pâté for a few days to enrich its flavour.
• Pâté can be eaten as a lunch dish, an evening starter, or a main component in a "tea party".
• Accompaniments for pâté require little more than toast and a few refreshing celery sticks or radish slices.
• Cornichons (French for "gherkin") are the perfect accompaniment to any type of pâté.

Pate en croute

Pate, a dish associated with luxury, is a mixture of seasoned ground seafood, poultry, meat, or vegetables. Traditionally, it is served baked in a crust (en croute) or moulded as a terrine. Pate en croute, an elevated version of pate, encases the pate in a delicate pastry crust, adding a layer of sophistication and texture.

To prepare pate en croute, a pastry crust is first prepared. The filling is then carefully layered and encased within the crust. The original purpose of the crust was to hold the pate together, and it was not intended to be eaten. However, nowadays, the crust of a pate en croute is usually meant to be consumed along with the filling.

Pate serving suggestions

Pâté is a French dish that can be served hot or cold, and chilling it for a few days will enrich its flavour. It can be served as a lunch dish, an evening starter, or as part of a "tea party".

Pâté is often served with toast, crackers, or sliced baguette. A grilled, thick-cut sourdough bread is ideal, but any decent, thick-cut real white or granary bread will do.

Accompaniments for meat and fish pâtés require little more than toast and a few refreshing celery sticks or radish slices. Cornichons (French for "gherkin") are the perfect accompaniment to any type of pâté. These brined little pickles made from tiny gherkin cucumbers offer a crunchy and tart contrast to the rich, meaty pâtés.

For a larger party, fill a tiny choux pastry or gougère with a cube of pâté and arrange on a platter. For a simple lunch or small meal, serve pâté on toasted bread or baguette with a large green salad.

For a special presentation, slice the cornichon lengthwise into four to six slices and fan them out, placing one on each piece of pâté.

Pate Pairings

Pâtés can be paired with tannic red wines, and for a beginner, pâté de campagne is recommended as a "pâté 101". This country-style pâté is made with coarse ground pork meat and pork liver with garlic, parsley, and sometimes onion, rosemary, and clove.

For a rich pâté such as a terrine of foie gras, skip the acidic garnish and go for a simple slice of bread.

Pate variations

Pâté is a French dish that traditionally consists of cooked meat, fish, or vegetables, mixed with fat, vegetables, herbs, spices, wine, and brandy. It is often baked in a crust or moulded as a terrine. While pâté is most associated with French cuisine, variations exist worldwide. Here are some examples of different types of pâté:

• Chicken liver parfait is a subtype of pâté. Chicken livers are pureed raw and then mixed with eggs, fortified wine, shallots, thyme, garlic, and cognac. The mixture is then cooked in a bain-marie until set, resulting in a smooth texture.
• Russian pâté, or pechyonochniy pashtet, is commonly made with liver from various animals. The liver is cooked (boiled or fried) and mixed with butter or fat, and seasonings such as onions, carrots, spices, and herbs. It is often served moulded into animal shapes.
• Chopped liver is an Ashkenazi Jewish cuisine variation, where schmaltz is used instead of butter, and hard-boiled eggs are added.
• Vorschmack, or gehakte herring, is another common type of pâté in Jewish cuisine, also popular in Russia and Ukraine. It is made with chopped herring.
• Vietnamese cuisine incorporates pâté into bánh mì baguette-type sandwiches.
• Gavrilović liver pâté is a variation from Croatia.
• Duck rillette is a French variation made with 100% duck meat. It is often served as an appetizer with toasted baguette bread or water crackers.
• Duck pâté cognac is made with duck meat, spices, and French brandy. It is typically served as an appetizer with a salty cracker.
• Duck and pork pâté with orange combines duck meat and liver with pork, oranges, orange liqueur, and spices. It is often served as an appetizer or canapé on a baguette or brioche bread.
• Pâté de Campagne, or country-style coarse pâté, is a French classic made with coarse pork and black peppercorns. It is typically served at room temperature with cornichons, Dijon mustard, and a fresh baguette.

Frequently asked questions