Pâté en croûte with Prunelle de Troyes

The chef at Octave restaurant in Troyes uses a local specialty, Prunelle de Troyes, a liqueur made from sloe pits, in his recipe for pâté en croute.

This recipe by Baptiste Gautier, chef at Octave restaurant in Troyes, is taken from the 2024 edition ofLivre 109: Le sang neuf de la gastronomie française. Discover the ingredients and preparation steps to make it a breeze.

Serves 8
Preparation time: 1 h 30
Cooking time: 1 h
Resting time: 3 days

Ingredients for Pâté en Croûte

For the pastry

500 g flour
250 g butter
11.5 cl whole milk
15 g sugar
15 g salt

For the marinade/farce

600 g pork loin
600 g pork neck
500 g chicken livers
8 cl red wine
8 cl Prunelle de Troyes
6 cl port wine
30 g salt
4 g pepper
2 g 4-spice blend
1 onion
2 cloves garlic
200 g lard fat
40 g pistachios
100 g duck fat
2 eggs

For the jelly

500 g veal stock
10 sheets gelatin

Specific equipment

Pâté mould
Prob e

Steps for pâté en croûte

Marinade (3 days before): cut the loin and throat into strips, devein 300 g of chicken livers. Marinate overnight with spirits, spices, salt and pepper.
Prepare the dough (2 days before): mix and knead all the ingredients, then shape the dough into a rectangle. Shrink-wrap and chill.
Prepare the stuffing (2 days before): fry the peeled onion and garlic in duck fat.
Finely dice the fatty bacon, place in boiling water for 10 seconds, then cool in water with ice cubes. Pat dry on paper towels.
Fry the remaining 200 g of chicken livers, then leave to cool. Chop coarsely.
Blend with marinade from previous day. Stir in one egg and the pistachios.
Assembly (2 days before): Roll out the pastry to 4 mm thickness, butter and line the tin.
Place the filling in the tin, taking care to remove as much air as possible. Cover the mold, making three chimneys beforehand. Brush with egg. Bake at 220°C for 8 min, then turn down to 180°C. Bake through at 58°C, checking with a probe (depending on oven, allow approx. 30-45 min).
Unmolding (the day before): turn out of the mold and pour the liquid gelatine into the pâté through the chimneys. Leave to rest for a further day before tasting.

For furtherinformation, contact

Octave, 23 rue des Quinze Vingts, 10000 Troyes
11/20 in the Livre des 109
Read Gault&Millau's review of Octave

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