Across Lyon, the delis, butchers, and restaurants all claim to have designed the best pâté en croûte. This recipe brings together all my favorite elements for an ultimate and easy version.
Ingredients
- 11½ oz (325 g) lean ground pork
- 11½ oz (325 g) veal or pork medallions, chopped finely but not minced
- ⅔ cup (100 g) dried apricots or soft prunes, chopped into ¼-inch cubes
- ⅓ cup (50 g) shelled pistachios, roughly chopped
- ½ orange zest
- Salt
- ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- Generous pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
- 5½ tbsp (75 g) butter
- 9 tbsp (125 g) lard
- 5½ tbsp milk
- ⅓ cup hot water
- 3 cups (375 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 egg yolk
- Grainy mustard for serving
How to Make It
- In a large bowl, mix together the pork, veal, apricots, pistachios, orange zest, ¼ tsp salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Place the butter, lard, 3½ tbsp of the milk, the water, and a pinch of salt in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook until the fats have melted, then remove the pan from the heat and let cool slightly. Pour the flour into a large bowl and make a well in the middle. Pour in the melted butter mixture and stir together. Shape the dough into a ball.
- Set one-third of the dough aside. On a floured surface, roll out the other two-thirds of dough to an 8-by-10-inch rectangle about ¼ inch thick. Line the prepared pan with the dough, carefully pressing it into the corners and sides. Make sure there are no holes or cracks; fill them in with leftover pastry. Trim the excess pastry around the edges. Add the meat mixture and flatten it so it has a level surface and there are no gaps.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Roll out the remainder of the pastry to a rectangle a little bigger than the top of the pan. Place the pastry on top of the filling and use a fork to press down and seal the edges. Mix the egg yolk with the remaining 2 tbsp milk to make an egg wash. Cut three little holes in the top of the pastry and brush the surface with the egg wash.
- Wrap a small piece of foil around the handle of a wooden spoon to make a tube. Insert the tube into one of the holes, then repeat with the other holes. Cut a piece of foil the size of the top of your pie and make a slit in the middle. Cover the pie loosely, making sure that the vents stick out but the rest of the pastry is covered. Bake for 1½ hours, then remove the foil and bake for another 30 minutes until the crust is crisp and brown. Remove the pie from the oven and cool completely before loosening it from the pan. Slice and serve with grainy mustard.