What I had for lunch:

Duck paté

25 Dec 1994 20:41:39 -0500

As long as I have some time, why not use it? Thus the duck paté, which must be started the day before. The first step is to skin and bone one duck, saving the meat for later. Bones, neck, gizzard, liver, and skin are sauteed in a large pot, and most of the fat is removed with a turkey baster. Enough water is added to cover, and the bones et al are cooked until ready to disintegrate, about 2 hours in a pressure cooker. The broth is then strained, defatted, and reduced until only 1/2 cup is left.

The meat is chopped with a heavy knife or a cleaver, and is mixed with 1 tbsp green peppercorns, a large pinch of caraway, 2 tbsp of hot paprika, 4 crushed cloves of garlic, 1 tsp salt, 1 egg, and 1 small glass of port. The mixture is packed into a rectangular mold (about 7x3x2 inches), overlaid with some of the fat, covered with aluminum foil, and placed in 1 inch of simmering water in the oven or in a slow cooker, and cooked overnight. (I prefer the slow cooker, as the water does not evaporate, but it is not a problem if the water bath dries up in the oven as long as the temperature stays around 200 F.)

The paté can be served warm or cold as is, or the surrounding juice can be cooked with gelatin to encase it in aspic.

Serve with capers, cornichons, olives, and a loaf of hot crusty bread.