Gratin Forcemeat for Ordinary Hot, Raised Pies

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •12-inch (30-cm) heavy sauté pan
• •7-cup or larger food processor
• •Fine tamis or sturdy fine-mesh sieve
• •Flexible bowl scraper
• •Instant-read thermometer

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the cold foundation

   Have the reduced Espagnole cold before you begin and keep the diced butter cool but pliable. Pat the bacon, veal, and liver very dry, keeping each meat separate. Wet surfaces give you gray meat and liquid in the pan; this forcemeat depends upon rapid browning, not simmering in its own juices.

2. 2

   Brown the bacon hard

   Heat the tablespoon of butter in a wide sauté pan over high heat until its foam subsides. Add the bacon in one uncrowded layer and brown it quickly on several faces, about 2 minutes, without rendering it dry. Lift it onto a rimmed plate and leave the browned fat and fond in the pan.

   If liquid gathers around the bacon, the pan is crowded or not hot enough. Lift the bacon out, boil the moisture away, reheat the fat, and continue in batches. Ça se rattrape.
3. 3

   Brown veal and liver

   Brown the veal briskly in the same fat until its broad faces are deep bronze but its center remains underdone, then drain it beside the bacon. Repeat with the calf's liver, working even faster because liver toughens when overcooked. Keep every batch small enough that the pan stays fiercely hot. Pale browning makes pale flavor, and no later seasoning can replace the fond you failed to build here.

4. 4

   Wake the aromatics

   Return the bacon and veal to the pan with the liver. Add the salt, white pepper, mushroom parings, truffle parings, shallot, thyme, and bay. Toss over high heat for exactly 2 minutes, just long enough for the shallot to soften and the truffle and herbs to perfume the fat. Tip everything into a sieve set over a bowl, reserving every spoonful of gravy, then discard the thyme and bay.

5. 5

   Swill with Madeira

   Return the empty pan to high heat and pour in the Madeira. Scrape the floor thoroughly as it bubbles for 30 to 60 seconds, dissolving the dark glaze without reducing the wine dry. Pour this Madeira deglazing liquor into a separate cup. Let both it and the reserved gravy cool until barely warm, since hot liquid would melt the butter and loosen the forcemeat.

6. 6

   Build the forcemeat

   Put the drained bacon, veal, liver, mushrooms, truffle, and shallot in the food processor and work them quickly to a very fine paste. With the machine running, add the butter one small piece at a time, followed by the yolks one by one, the reserved gravy, the cold reduced Espagnole, and finally the Madeira, keeping precisely that order. Stop once to scrape the bowl, then process only until smooth. If the mixture becomes shiny with loose fat, stop immediately. Chill the bowl for 10 minutes, then restart with one spoonful of cold Espagnole until it binds again; ça se rattrape.

   The processor replaces the brigade's long mortar work, but friction brings heat. If the bowl feels warm against your palm, pause and chill it before adding more butter.
7. 7

   Pass through the sieve

   Press the forcemeat through a fine tamis or sturdy fine-mesh sieve into a chilled bowl, using a flexible scraper and discarding the sinew left behind. The food processor is useful scaffolding; the tamis stays because it gives the forcemeat its close, silken texture. Smooth it firmly with a wooden spoon. Fry a teaspoonful until completely cooked, taste it, and correct the salt and pepper. Never taste the uncooked forcemeat.

8. 8

   Fill and finish

   This is a forcemeat, not a ready-to-eat pâté. Use it in the separately prepared hot raised pie from Gratins (No. 268), packing it firmly enough to remove air pockets without crushing the pastry. Follow that pie's baking instructions and verify that the center of the forcemeat reaches 160°F (71°C) before serving. Let the pie rest as directed so the filling settles cleanly beneath the crust. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Ask for green bacon or another fatty unsmoked slab bacon. Smoked bacon changes the entire register and can overwhelm the calf's liver, Madeira, and truffle.
• •Calf's liver should be pale, mild, and carefully trimmed. Mature beef liver is too forceful here; if the butcher cannot supply calf's liver, postpone the dish rather than burying the formula under a harsher substitute.
• •The Espagnole must be reduced enough to coat the back of a spoon, then thoroughly chilled. A loose or warm sauce leaves the forcemeat slack and greasy. Prepare it ahead, reduce it patiently, and let the cold do its work.
• •Raw truffle is preferred, exactly as the formula says, but drained preserved truffle peelings are the honest pantry answer when fresh truffle is unavailable. Keep their pieces and liquor away from the Madeira measure so the original balance stays intact.
• •Serve the finished pie with a dry Madeira or a light red wine and something sharp beside it, such as cornichons or a plainly dressed bitter salad. The forcemeat is rich by design. We don't apologize for butter.

Advance Preparation

• •The stated times cover the forcemeat itself. Preparation and baking time for the hot raised pie remain with Gratins (No. 268), which is made separately.
• •The reduced Espagnole can be prepared up to 2 days ahead and kept covered in the refrigerator. Chill it completely before building the forcemeat.
• •The finished forcemeat can be made up to 24 hours ahead. Press parchment or food-safe wrap directly onto its surface and refrigerate at or below 40°F (4°C); it contains egg yolks and only partially cooked meat, so do not leave it at room temperature or serve it without the final bake.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 295g)