Pâté Chaud de Ris de Veau

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •6-inch (15 cm) Charlotte mould or straight-sided cake tin, about 3 inches (7.5 cm) deep
• •Food processor
• •Small heavy saucepan
• •Rolling pin
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Two flat boards or rimless baking sheets for unmoulding

Instructions

1. 1

   Soak the sweetbreads

   Place the sweetbreads in a bowl of very cold water with half the poaching salt. Soak for 1 hour, changing the water twice, until the lobes look pale and the water remains nearly clear. This draws out blood and gives the finished sweetbread its clean, delicate flavour.

2. 2

   Make the short paste

   Mix the flour and salt, then rub in the cold butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with a few flat flakes remaining. Add the ice water gradually and press the dough together without kneading. It should be firm enough to hold a tall mould, not soft like tart dough. Flatten it into a disc, wrap, and chill for at least 45 minutes. This produces about 1½ pounds of short paste, preserving the quantity specified for the raised crust.

   If the dough remains sandy after all the water is added, press a handful firmly. Add another teaspoon of cold water only if it still falls apart.
3. 3

   Poach and press

   Put the drained sweetbreads in a saucepan, cover with fresh cold water, and add the remaining poaching salt. Bring the water slowly to a bare tremble and poach for 5 minutes, never letting it boil hard. Drain, cool briefly under cold water, then remove the outer membrane, fat, and any coarse tubes while the lobes are still warm. Place between two small trays, add a weight of about 2 pounds, and chill for 30 minutes. Slice the pressed sweetbreads about ⅓ inch (8 mm) thick.

4. 4

   Cook mushrooms gently

   Melt the mushroom butter in a small covered saucepan. Add the sliced mushrooms, water, and a pinch of salt, then cook gently for 5 minutes without browning. Drain the mushrooms well and reserve their fragrant liquid. Return that liquid to the pan and reduce it to 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 30 g). This is the mushroom essence that gives the Allemande its proper accent. Spread the mushrooms on a plate and chill them.

5. 5

   Build the Allemande

   Simmer the chicken stock until reduced to ½ cup (120 ml / 120 g), then combine it with the mushroom essence. In a clean saucepan, melt the Allemande butter, stir in the flour, and cook this pale roux for 2 minutes without letting it colour. Whisk in the hot stock little by little, then simmer gently until the sauce is smooth, reduced, and stiff enough to leave a clear track behind the spoon. Whisk the yolk with 2 tablespoons of the cream, temper it with a spoonful of hot sauce, and stir the liaison back into the pan over very low heat. Do not boil. Add the lemon juice, salt, and white pepper. If the yolk begins to catch, pull the pan from the heat and whisk in the reserved tablespoon of cold cream, then strain it. Ça se rattrape. Press parchment directly against the sauce and chill until firm.

6. 6

   Make chicken forcemeat

   Chill the food processor bowl and blade. Process the cold chicken with the salt and white pepper until smooth and tacky, then add the egg whites and process again. With the machine running, pour in the cold cream in a thin stream, stopping as soon as the forcemeat is glossy, thick, and completely combined. Poach a teaspoon in barely simmering water and cut it open to test the texture and seasoning. If the forcemeat looks greasy or loose, stop and chill it for 15 minutes before pulsing again briefly. Don't add more cream while it is warm.

7. 7

   Form the Galette lining

   Heat the oven to 400°F (200°C), with a rack in the lower third. Butter a straight-sided 6-inch (15 cm) Charlotte mould about 3 inches (7.5 cm) deep. Reserve one quarter of the paste for the lid and leaves. Roll the remainder on a lightly dredged surface into a Galette, a large round of paste, about ⅓ inch (8 mm) thick. Dust it lightly, fold it loosely in half without pressing, and draw the two ends gently toward the centre to make a soft skullcap. Lower it into the mould and unfold it against the bottom and sides, pressing carefully without making pleats. Trim the paste to ½ inch (1.25 cm) above the rim. If a crack appears, patch it with a thin piece of trimming and press the join smooth. Ça se rattrape.

8. 8

   Layer the filling

   Spread chicken forcemeat evenly over the bottom and sides of the lined mould to a thickness of ⅔ inch (1.7 cm), using the back of a damp spoon to keep the layer smooth. Toss the cold sweetbread slices, mushrooms, and truffle gently with the cold, stiff Allemande, then pack this garnish into the centre without pressing hard enough to crush the slices. Cover it completely with the remaining forcemeat and smooth the surface. Every component must be cold before it touches the pastry. Warm sauce softens the crust and loosens the forcemeat, while cold layers remain distinct when the pie is cut.

9. 9

   Seal and Gild

   Roll the reserved paste to the same thickness and cut a lid slightly wider than the mould. Moisten the projecting rim with water, lay on the lid, and press firmly all around. Pinch the rim from inside and outside to make a tight seal. Cut leaves from the trimmings with a paring knife, replacing the old fancy cutter, and rib them with the back of the knife before laying them on the cover. Beat the egg with the water and Gild the pastry evenly. Cut a central slit about ½ inch (1.25 cm) long so moisture can escape.

10. 10

    Bake and unmould

    Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until the pie is a deep, even gold and an instant-read thermometer passed through the central slit reaches 165°F (74°C). If the pastry colours before the centre is ready, cover the dome loosely with foil and continue baking. Rest in the mould for 8 minutes, invert onto a board, then use a second board to turn the pie upright onto a platter lined with a clean folded napkin. Let it settle for another 10 minutes before cutting generous wedges. The crust should stand cleanly, the forcemeat should frame the garnish, and the Allemande should gleam without running. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Order veal sweetbreads from a butcher several days before cooking. Ask for plump, pale lobes with no sour smell or dry grey edges; the smaller throat sweetbread is especially fine, though either veal sweetbread works here.
• •A whole preserved black truffle is the classical pantry's honest answer when fresh truffle is unavailable. Drain and slice it. Truffle oil cannot replace the slices or their texture, and its perfume overwhelms the sweetbread.
• •Keep the forcemeat below 50°F (10°C) while processing. Cold chicken and cream form a close, smooth emulsion; warmth makes the mixture greasy and weakens the protective lining around the garnish.
• •A full-bodied dry white Burgundy has enough breadth for the sweetbread, butter, and truffle. Serve something sharp and green afterward, not beneath the pie, so the pastry reaches the table crisp.

Advance Preparation

• •The sweetbreads can be soaked, poached, trimmed, and pressed up to 24 hours ahead. Refrigerate them covered and slice only when assembling the pie.
• •Cook the mushrooms and Allemande up to 24 hours ahead, then chill them separately. Press parchment directly onto the Allemande so it does not form a skin.
• •The short paste can rest in the refrigerator for up to 48 hours. The chicken forcemeat can be prepared up to 12 hours ahead and held below 40°F (4°C).
• •Assemble the pie up to 4 hours before baking and keep it refrigerated. Bake close to serving, since a reheated pie remains pleasant but the forcemeat becomes firmer and the crust loses some crispness.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 480g)