This is the pâté you slice thickly the next day, when the fat at the edge has gone pearly and the interior is coarse, not a mousse. Pork in three textures — shoulder, liver and fat — bound with cognac and quatre-épices. Cornichons, mustard, and bread. That is lunch.
Lyon still treats the terrine as a first course of consequence, the opening move of a bouchon meal before the sausage and the Beaujolais. It is charcuterie of the farmhouse, not the pâtisserie: salt, spice, and a night under a weight.
Pack it firmly. Cook it in a bain-marie until the centre reaches 160°F, then weight it as it cools. Do not slice it today; it is not ready. A sharp pickle is as important as the bread.
Method
- 01
Heat the oven to 325°F. Coarsely chop the liver and the back fat — you want texture, three distinct porks, not a mousse — and mix them thoroughly with the minced shoulder, shallot, crushed garlic, cognac, egg, quatre-épices, salt and pepper. Use your hands; a spoon will not bind it. Rest the mixture 20 minutes so the cognac and spice begin their work.
- 02
Line an 8-inch terrine with the bacon, overlapping the rashers slightly and leaving a generous overhang. Pack in the mixture firmly, knocking the mould on the counter to settle it and chase out any pockets of air. Fold the bacon over the top and lay the bay leaves and thyme on it. It should look rustic and well stuffed, not fussy.
- 03
Set the terrine in a roasting tin and pour in hot water to come halfway up the sides — a bain-marie, so the pâté cooks gently and does not dry. Bake until the center reaches 160°F, about 90 minutes. The juices should run clear, and the terrine will have pulled away a little from the sides. Trust the thermometer; guesswork here is a dry loaf.
- 04
Weight the terrine as it cools — a board and a couple of cans will do — so it compresses into something you can slice. Refrigerate it overnight; it is not ready today. Slice it thickly the next day and serve with cornichons, mustard, and good bread. The fat at the edge should be pearly, the interior coarse.
