Pâté de Lièvre

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •6-inch (15 cm) springform or raised-pie mould, about 3 inches (8 cm) deep
• •Food processor with chilled bowl and blade
• •Sturdy fine-mesh sieve and flexible scraper
• •Narrow boning knife and chilled metal skewer for larding
• •Rolling pin
• •Rimmed baking sheet
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Small funnel or narrow-spouted jug for the jelly

Instructions

1. 1

   Trim and marinate

   Mix the salt, pepper, allspice, and mace to make the spiced salt. Reserve two-thirds for the forcemeat. Inspect the hare carefully, removing every tendon and any shot from wild meat. Make narrow lengthwise channels through the thick fillet and leg strips with a chilled metal skewer followed by the tip of a narrow knife, then draw the fine larding strips through the channels. This replaces the larding needle without changing its purpose: lean hare receives small seams of fat from within. Put the larded hare, truffle strips, and 45 g fatback batons in a shallow nonreactive dish. Season with the remaining spiced salt, pour over the chilled Cooked Marinade for Venison (No. 168) and 2 tablespoons brandy, cover, and refrigerate for 1 hour. Drain thoroughly and pat the meat, truffle, and fatback dry; discard the marinade that touched the raw meat.

   Keep the larding fat very cold. If it softens under your fingers, return it to the refrigerator for ten minutes; firm strips pass through the meat cleanly instead of smearing.
2. 2

   Make the paste

   Combine the flour and pastry salt. Rub in the cold lard and butter until the mixture resembles fine crumbs with a few pea-sized pieces remaining. Beat the pastry egg with 5 tablespoons of the cold water, add it to the flour, and bring the dough together firmly. Add the final tablespoon of water only if dry flour remains. Knead for about 30 seconds, just until smooth, then flatten, wrap, and refrigerate for 45 minutes. If the dough crumbles when pressed, work in a teaspoon of cold water; if it feels greasy, chill it before rolling.

3. 3

   Work the forcemeat

   Chill the processor bowl and blade for 15 minutes. Process the hare trimmings, veal, pork, and reserved spiced salt until finely minced and tacky. Add the diced fatback in three batches, pulsing after each, then add the egg and 3 tablespoons brandy. Process only until the forcemeat is smooth and cohesive. Press it through a sturdy fine-mesh sieve with a flexible scraper, the home equivalent of rubbing a brigade quantity through a tammy, then fold in the cold hare blood until the colour is even. If the mixture begins to shine with separate beads of fat, stop immediately, spread it in a shallow metal bowl, and chill it for 20 minutes before pulsing briefly again. Ça se rattrape. Fry a teaspoonful until fully cooked, taste it cold for a moment, and correct the salt or pepper before returning the forcemeat to the refrigerator.

   The processor bowl should remain cold beneath your palm. Heat is the enemy of the bind, so short pulses and pauses give a finer result than letting the motor run without interruption.
4. 4

   Line the mould

   Butter a 6-inch (15 cm) springform or raised-pie mould about 3 inches (8 cm) deep. Reserve one-third of the pastry for the lid and decorations. Roll the remainder about 3/16 inch (5 mm) thick and ease it into the mould, leaving a ¾-inch (2 cm) overhang. Press it firmly into the base and sides without stretching. If it tears, seal the gap from inside with a moistened pastry scrap; a sound patch is stronger than a thinly stretched wall. Line the pastry completely with the bacon slices, overlapping them slightly and leaving enough hanging over the rim to cover the filling.

5. 5

   Pack the layers

   Spread a ½-inch (1 cm) coating of cold forcemeat over the bacon-lined base and sides. Fill the mould with alternating layers of forcemeat, drained hare strips, truffle, and fatback batons, pressing each layer firmly so no air pockets remain. Keep the hare pieces running lengthwise so the finished slices show distinct pieces rather than small scattered cubes. Finish with forcemeat, level the surface, fold over the bacon, and cover with the remaining bacon slice. Sprinkle the powdered thyme and bay over the bacon. Firm packing is essential because jelly should fill the natural cooking gap, not large holes left by careless assembly.

6. 6

   Close and gild

   Roll the reserved pastry to 3/16 inch (5 mm). Moisten the exposed rim, lay on the lid, and press the two layers together. Trim, then pinch the crest firmly inside and out to make an airtight seal. Cut a 1-inch (2.5 cm) chimney in the centre and line it with a small collar of baking parchment. Cut leaves from the pastry scraps and attach them with beaten egg, keeping the chimney open. Gild the lid by brushing it evenly with the remaining beaten egg. Chill the assembled pie for 20 minutes while the oven heats to 350°F (180°C).

7. 7

   Bake to the centre

   Set the mould on a rimmed baking sheet and bake on the lower-middle rack for 1 hour 40 minutes to 2 hours. The crust should be deeply golden and firm, and an instant-read thermometer inserted through the chimney must reach 160°F (71°C) at the centre. If the lid reaches a dark chestnut before the filling is ready, cover the top loosely with parchment and foil while leaving the chimney uncovered. Set the pie, still in its mould, on a rack and let it cool until only faintly warm, about 2 hours.

8. 8

   Pour the jelly

   Sprinkle the gelatin over 3 tablespoons of the cold hare fumet and leave it for 5 minutes. Heat the remaining fumet just below a simmer, remove it from the heat, and stir in the softened gelatin until completely dissolved. Cool the jelly until fluid but no longer warm. When the pie is almost cold, pour the jelly slowly through the chimney, about ¼ cup at a time, pausing after each addition so it runs into the spaces around the filling. Continue until the pie accepts no more. If jelly escapes from a seam, stop, tighten the springform ring, chill the pie for 15 minutes, and resume with jelly that has thickened slightly. If the jelly sets in the jug, warm it gently until fluid again.

9. 9

   Chill and slice

   Refrigerate the filled pie in its mould for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight. Release the mould, then let the Pâté de Lièvre stand for 20 minutes before cutting so the pastry loses its refrigerator hardness while the jelly remains set. Slice with a sharp serrated knife through the crust, then finish each cut with a chef's knife for a clean face. Serve in generous wedges with cornichons, Dijon mustard, and bread. For a picnic, carry it below 40°F (4°C) and return leftovers to the cold within 2 hours. À table!

Chef Tips

• •The forcemeat ratio follows the source precisely. For 158 g hare trim, the combined veal and pork weigh 59 g, and the fresh fatback weighs 236 g. Together they make 1 lb (454 g) of forcemeat before egg and liquids, which takes exactly one egg and 3 tablespoons brandy.
• •Use only blood supplied as food-grade and kept continuously below 40°F (4°C). Never cook with blood from an animal whose field handling is uncertain. Food-grade pig's blood can replace hare blood when the game dealer cannot reserve it, but its flavour is rounder and less distinctly wild.
• •Fresh black truffle is splendid when the season gives it honestly. At other times, use whole preserved truffle packed in its own juice and drain it well. Truffle oil cannot replace the strips because the slice needs both their perfume and their visible texture.
• •Hare is leaner and darker than rabbit, and rabbit does not make the same Pâté de Lièvre. A game dealer can usually supply frozen hare, which is preferable to changing the animal while keeping the name.
• •The fumet must be concentrated enough to taste distinctly of hare before the gelatin goes in. Thin stock makes clear but timid jelly; reduce unsalted fumet until one spoonful carries the full game flavour, then measure the cup required.
• •Serve with a lightly chilled red Cheverny from the Loire. Its Pinot Noir and Gamay character has enough freshness for the fatback and pastry without flattening the hare or truffle.

Advance Preparation

• •Prepare the Cooked Marinade for Venison (No. 168) and concentrated hare fumet before beginning. Both must be completely chilled when they meet the meat or gelatin.
• •The pastry can be made and refrigerated one day ahead. Let it soften only until it rolls without cracking; it should remain cold and firm.
• •Pâté de Lièvre is best baked, filled with jelly, and chilled overnight before serving. Once fully set, it keeps for 3 days below 40°F (4°C), tightly wrapped after the first cut.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 480g)