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Pâté de Campagne (Country Pate) – A Delicious French Classic

Today I will show you how you can make a Pâté de Campagne. It is also called Terrine de Campagne or Country Pate in english speaking countries.

Pâté de Campagne is a meat dish of the French cuisine, similar to a pâté. 

The terrine is usually eaten cold. It is very tasty and at the same time beautiful to look at. 

There are many possible variations of this dish. You can use any meat, as well as any fish. Even a sweet variation of the Terrine de Campagne is also possible. 

In this post you will find my take on a Pâté de Campagne recipe which is inspired by the Chefsteps Original. The preparation takes about 2,5 hours. 

You can read it or watch the video. Enjoy!


Pâté de Campagne (Country Pate) – What do you need to make it?

Pate de Campagne- all ingredients

Ingredients for your Pâté de Campagne

Meat (850 g):

  • 550g pork shoulder
  • 200g pork liver
  • 150g bacon chunks

This will yield around one terrine mold worth of mixture.

To coat the mold with bacon you will need an additional package of bacon strips.

Spices per 850 g of meat:

  • 15 g salt
  • 2,5 g mustard seeds yellow
  • 2,5 g coriander seeds
  • 1,5 g fresh thyme
  • 1.5 g black peppercorns
  • 1,25 g allspice
  • 0,75 g Cloves
  • 35 g dried cherries
  • 35 g dried cranberries 
  • 40 ml Sauternes or other dessert wine

Binder per 850 g of meat:

  • 1 egg 
  • 40 g bread (sourdough if possible)
  • 45 ml milk


The equipment to make country pate

Meat Grinder

You need a meat grinder to “grind” the meat. The grinder chops the meat into small chunks which then can then be mixed.

Food Processor

You need a food processor to mix the binder as fine as possible.

Thermometer & Cooking Pot / Sous Vide Cooker / Oven 

The easiest way to cook the meat gently is to use a Sous Vide Cooker. You do not have one? No problem! 

Use a saucepan and heat the water. To reach the exact temperature, you will need a thermometer. 

As a third alternative, you can use an oven by adding a pot of water and bake the Paté. 

All three methods yield the same result and are described in detail below.

Spice Grinder

If you want to grind your spices The spice mill grinds the spices while the mortar crushes or grinds the spices. 

Terrine mold

To cook your meat in the oven or with a sous vide cooker, you need a terrine mold that is suitable for oven baking / sous vide.


Make Pâté de Campagne – Step-By-Step Instructions

1. Cut the pork shoulder, liver and bacon into strips which can fit into your grinder. 

Pate de Campagne-cut the meat

2. Grind the spices and salt with a spice grinder. This will yield a super fine mixture which will distribute evenly across the meat.

Pate de Campagne-Grind the spices

3. Add the spices to the meat and mix the ingredients. Put the meat and the movable parts of your grinder into the freezer for 1 – 2 hours. This will help with the grinding process and the meat temperature.

Pate de Campagne-add spices to the meat

4. Cut the bread into small cubes and put it in the food processor together with the milk and egg. Let it mix until the ingredients form a homogeneous mass.

You need this mixture so that the country pate binds nicely and doesn’t fall apart. 

Pate de Campagne-food processor

5. Wipe the terrine mold with a wet cloth and line it with cling film afterwards. The water will make it easier to do so. 

Important: Do not use foil if you cook the terrine in the oven later.

Pate de Campagne- cling film

6. Now put the bacon in the mold until the entire surface is covered.

Pate de Campagne-Bacon

7. Now it’s time to grind the meat. Grind the meat through the coarsest perforated disc.

Pate de Campagne-grinde

8. Mix the minced meat with the bread mixture, the dessert wine, and the fruits. 

Pate de Campagne-mix

9. Pour the mixture into the terrine mold. Make sure that there is no air trapped in it.

Then fold the bacon and cling film over the mass.

Pate de Campagne-pour the mixture

10. Cook the terrine for 2 hours at 75 °C (167 °F) in the sous vide cooker. Put sticks on the bottom to allow the water to circulate. 

Alternative #1 Cook in the oven: I recommend heating the oven to 160 °C and to cook the terrine in a water bath for about 2 hours. The terrine mold should be placed in 50% of the water and covered with aluminum foil to prevent the bacon from getting crispy.

Alternative #2: Baking dish on the stove. Lay out the base with chopsticks and fill up the water to just below the top. Make sure you choose a cooking setting that maintains a water temperature of about 75 °C (167 °F) when the terrine is in it. You can also let the terrine cook for up to 2 hours.

The core temperature should reach 64 °C (147 °F) with all 3 cooking methods. 

It is best to check the temperature regularly so that the Pate de Campagne does not overcook.

Pate de Campagne-cook

11. Once cooked press the meat with a plate and put the terrine in the refrigerator for 24h. If there is too much liquid, you can also pour it out.

Pate de Campagne-plate

12. Your Pate de Campagne, Country Pate or Terrine de Campagne is ready. Enjoy!

Pate de Campagne- ready


How long is the shelf life of the country pate?

Your pâté can be kept in the refrigerator for about 7 days. 

As always, pay attention to the smell and nothing should go wrong.


Tags

Pâté, Terrine & Rillette


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