Forcemeat for Galantines, Pies and Terrines

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Digital kitchen scale
• •7-cup or larger food processor with metal blade
• •Two rimmed metal trays and a bowl of ice
• •Sturdy fine-mesh sieve or tamis with flexible scraper
• •Small saucepan with lid and a long match
• •Instant-read thermometer

Instructions

1. 1

   Chill the whole setup

   Chill the food processor bowl, blade, sieve, spatula, and mixing bowl for at least 30 minutes. Spread the cubed veal, pork, and fatback on a metal tray and place them in the freezer for 20 to 30 minutes, until the edges feel firm but the centers remain pliable. Keep the egg cold as well. The meat should stay below 50°F (10°C) throughout the grinding; warmer than that, the fat begins to smear instead of binding.

   A metal tray pulls heat from the cubes faster than a bowl. Spread them in one layer rather than piling them up.
2. 2

   Burn and cool brandy

   Put the brandy in the smallest saucepan you own and warm it over low heat just until aromatic. Remove the pan completely from the burner and move the bottle away, then ignite the brandy with a long match. Let the flame die on its own, or cover the pan with a lid to extinguish it, then chill the burnt brandy completely. If such a small amount will not catch, simmer it gently for 30 seconds instead. The intention is to soften the raw alcohol, not scorch the brandy.

3. 3

   Grind in cold batches

   Combine the chilled veal, pork, fatback, and spiced salt, keeping the source's exact 1:1:2 meat ratio. Process one-third at a time with short pulses until each batch becomes an even, fine mince. Scrape it onto a chilled tray set over ice while you grind the remainder. If the fat begins coating the bowl or the mince feels soft, stop immediately and chill everything for 15 minutes. Don't try to outrun warm fat with a faster blade.

4. 4

   Build the emulsion

   Return all the mince to the cold processor. Run the machine in short bursts until the mixture becomes fine, sticky, and cohesive, then add the chilled egg in three additions, letting each disappear before adding the next. Pour in the cooled burnt brandy in a thin thread and process only until absorbed. The farce should climb the blade slightly and look satin-matte. If oily beads appear, stop. Ça se rattrape: spread the mixture thinly on the chilled tray, chill it for 15 minutes, then pulse it briefly with 1 tablespoon of the measured cold fumet. If liquid fat has already collected in a puddle, reserve the mixture for a coarse pie filling rather than a sliced galantine.

5. 5

   Pass through sieve

   Set the chilled sieve over the cold mixing bowl and press the farce through with a firm flexible scraper, working in small portions. Scrape the underside of the sieve into the bowl and discard any sinew left behind. Keep the receiving bowl over ice as you work. This pass gives the farce its close, even texture and catches what the processor cannot; don't omit it when the final dish must slice cleanly.

6. 6

   Cook a test

   Fry a tablespoon of farce in a small dry skillet over moderate heat until its center reaches 160°F (71°C), then let it stand for a minute before tasting. Do not taste the mixture raw. The test should cut neatly without crumbling or releasing a wide halo of fat. If it crumbles but remains matte, chill the farce and process it for another 10 seconds; if it leaks fat, use the chilling rescue from the previous step. The source's spiced-salt proportion is assertive, so taste before adding any further seasoning.

7. 7

   Rest the farce

   Transfer the sieved farce to a chilled basin, press reusable wrap directly against its surface, and refrigerate it for at least 1 hour. This short rest firms the fat and lets the salt complete the bind. Keep it at or below 40°F (4°C).

8. 8

   Enrich game farce

   For a game terrine, raised pie, or galantine, weigh the rested base before adding fumet. Fold in one-fifth to one-quarter of that weight in finished, thoroughly chilled Gratin Forcemeat for Ordinary Hot, Raised Pies (No. 202), using the game meat appropriate to the final dish. For this full batch, that is about 140 to 175 grams. Fold just until no streaks remain; beating would warm the mixture and weaken its texture.

9. 9

   Loosen with fumet

   Immediately before packing the farce into its terrine, pie, or galantine, beat in the cold matching fumet 1 tablespoon at a time. Use only enough to make the farce supple while it still holds a clear ridge from the spoon, usually 2 to 4 tablespoons. Veal fumet suits a meat preparation; game fumet belongs with game. If the mixture becomes loose, stop adding liquid and chill it for 20 minutes. Ça se rattrape. Don't reach for flour or breadcrumbs, which would change the preparation.

10. 10

    Hold and cook

    Use the finished farce at once, or keep it tightly covered in the refrigerator for no more than 24 hours. This is a raw foundation, not a finished appetizer. Pack and cook it according to the enclosing terrine, pâté, or galantine recipe, taking the center to at least 160°F (71°C), then chill promptly if the final preparation will be served cold.

Chef Tips

• •Fresh fat bacon means unsmoked pork fatback, not streaky bacon. Smoke would take command of every terrine you make, while the lean and watery parts of belly bacon would disturb the book's deliberate proportion.
• •The weights govern this recipe. Cups are included for the cook caught without a scale, but cubed meat settles unpredictably, and a fine farce notices the difference.
• •If you don't already keep classical spiced salt, make the amount needed here from 24½ grams fine salt, 1½ grams ground white pepper, 1 gram ground nutmeg, ½ gram powdered thyme, and ½ gram powdered bay leaf. Grind and sieve the blend before weighing the full 28 grams.
• •Keep the fumet unsalted or only lightly salted. The farce is already firmly seasoned, and a salty reduction leaves you nowhere to go.
• •Lean, carefully trimmed veal leg works as well as an expensive fillet. Technique first, always. Sinew and warm fat harm this preparation far more than a modest cut does.

Advance Preparation

• •The meats may be trimmed, cubed, and refrigerated separately up to 4 hours ahead. Move them to the freezer for the final 20 to 30 minutes before grinding.
• •The burnt brandy may be prepared a day ahead and kept tightly covered in the refrigerator.
• •The sieved farce may be made up to 24 hours ahead, but wait to add the fumet and optional game enrichment until shortly before packing the final dish.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 105g)