Recipe

Country Pate, My Way

Ingredients

Put the chicken livers, onion, celery, and carrot in a food processor and pulse two or three times to combine. Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl. Add the pork, veal, pork fat, salt, cayenne, oregano, thyme, basil, brandy and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for 24 hours.
Preheat the oven to 350?F.
Remove the p‚tÈ mixture from the refrigerator, add the pistachios, and mix well. Line the bottom and sides of a 1 1/2-quart earthenware terrine or p‚tÈ mold with the bacon slices, leaving enough of the bacon overlapping on all sides of the dish so that the bacon will cover the top of the p‚tÈ mixture when folded over. Put the p‚tÈ mixture in the terrine and press it down firmly with your fingers. Fold the overlapping bacon slices over the mixture to encase it. Top with the bay leaves.
Place the terrine on a baking sheet and bake until the internal temperature reaches 170?F on a meat thermometer, about 2 hours. Remove from the oven and cover with a sheet of aluminum foil, then place a 2- to 3-pound weight or a brick wrapped in aluminum foil on top of the p‚tÈ. (Do not use a can.) Let cool completely.
Remove the weight and unmold the p‚tÈ. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 8 hours before slicing to serve with the croutons.