Country Pate of Duck Breast
1 duck breast
3 tablespoons butter
2 ounces brandy
4 shallots
1 pound boneless pork tenderloin, cut into cubes
1 pound fresh bacon, cut into cubes
5 tablespoons salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon thyme
3 eggs
4 tablespoons burnt brandy
1 pound chicken livers
1/2 pound white bread
1 cup of cream
Marinate duck breast in brandy and peppercorns for 24 hours. Drain and reserve brandy, crack pepper and dry duck breasts; press pepper into flesh and braise in butter until medium rare. Set aside to rest. Deglaze pan with reserved brandy and reduce to 3 tablespoons; reserve.
Allow bread to soak up cream. In a food processor grind separately pork, bacon, livers ,placing each in the same large bowl. Combine eggs salt brandy, nutmeg and soaked bread, process to a slurry and pour over ground meats. Mix to combine and process again in batches until smooth. Add brandy from duck breasts.
Cut duck breasts into strips.
Line a 3 quart terrine or loaf pan with a layer of meat mixture (forcemeat) add a layer of duck breast (do not extend duck breast to the edges of the terrine. Fill the mold in this manner ending with forcemeat.
Cover terrine tightly; set in a pan or water and bake in 325 oven until juices run clear about 2 1/2 hours.
Remove from oven and weight down (I have cut a piece of thick cardboard the size of the top of the terrine, covered it with heavy duty foil, then weigh it down with several cans of food. I can use the cardboard over and over.) Refrigerate and chill thoroughly. Remove from terrine and remove the fat. Press cracked pepper and ground nuts into the sides. Serve sliced on a cutting board with crusty bread and kitchen crackers