Pâté en croûte—or pâté-croûte in Lyon and the Champagne region – is meat and stuffing encased in pie dough (shortcrust pastry). It’s a glorious addition to a buffet spread or picnic. A generous slice can also be served at lunch with a green salad. The dish probably originates from medieval times, when a then nonedible crust simply helped cook and preserve the meat. It was later that scrumptious pastry started to be eaten, blending the traditional arts of charcuterie and pâtisserie. Cooks often take pride in pinching the edges in pretty patterns and shaping decorations with the cuttings.
Preparation time: 1½ hours, plus resting time
Cooking time: 1½ hours
Serves: 6
Pie dough (shortcrust pastry):
› 4¼ cups (500g) all-purpose (plain) flour, plus extra for dusting
› scant 1 cup (200g) chilled butter, diced, plus extra for greasing
› 2 tsp salt
› 2/3 cup (150ml) ice-cold water, to bind the dough
For the filling:
› 200g thin bacon slices (rashers)
› 1½-2½ cups (400g) stuffing of your choice
› 300g ham, sliced
› 300g veal, cut into strips
› 1 egg yolk, whisked, to glaze
› salt and pepper
Preheat the oven to 200°C.
First, make the pie dough (shortcrust pastry): Place the flour in a bowl, make a well in the centre, and add the butter and salt. Rub together with your fingers until the mixture has a breadcrumb-like texture. Add enough ice-cold water to just bring the dough together, mixing with your hands. Turn out onto a floured counter and knead well for 5 minutes until the dough is smooth. Form the dough into a ball shape, then place in a clean bowl. Cover and allow it to rest for 12 hours in the refrigerator.
Grease a 12 x 3½ x 3½-inch (32 x 8.5 x 8.5 cm) pâté dish or terrine with butter. Roll out two-thirds of the dough and use it to line the dish, leaving ¾ inch (2 cm) of dough above the rim.
Assemble the filling: Place a layer of bacon slices (rashers) at the bottom, then a layer of stuffing, a little of the ham, then a layer of the veal, seasoning each layer well with pepper. Continue making layers until you have used all the ingredients.
Roll out the remaining dough to create a lid slightly larger than the dish and use to cover the filling. Pinch the edges of the dough together to seal. Brush with the whisked egg yolk to glaze and make a hole in the centre of the lid, keep it open during cooking with a small funnel made of cardboard. Bake in the oven for 1½ hours, or until deep golden brown.
Remove from the oven and cool completely before serving.
