Don't know what to cook for breakfast? What to make sandwiches with? We suggest you prepare duck liver pate at home. Photos in the article are presented so that you have an idea of what the dish looks like.
Many people love pate. Of course, it doesn’t take five minutes to make, but it turns out incredibly tender and tasty. The pate can be stored in the refrigerator for up to five days. Therefore, it is often made for any holiday. It is very convenient to spread the pate on a loaf, and you will get a delicious sandwich.
First of all, you need to choose the right liver, and then start cooking. The recipes and tips below will help you manage your time correctly and make a truly extraordinary pate.
Don't forget that the kitchen is a place where you can and should experiment.
Ingredients
As has already become clear, the main product is duck liver. For a family of four you need to take 1 kg. Before washing it, remove excess fat and bile, which must be cut out very carefully.
If it gets into the liver, then the taste of the dish will greatly deteriorate. Then nothing can be done to correct it.
In addition to the liver, you will need another 1 liter of milk, a little sugar (50 g), salt, a mixture of peppers (ground), nutmeg and 150 ml of dry white wine to add a little acid. For vegetables you will need 2 large onions and one large carrot.
Homemade duck liver pate
You can make delicious and aromatic liver pate for the whole family without much expense. It will definitely contain only healthy products, which cannot be said about store-bought options.
Sautéed vegetables, spices, seasonings, fresh or dried herbs, butter, sour cream or cream are added to liver pate. All this makes the appetizer incredibly tender and aromatic.
Dishes with this pate are suitable for children's and diet food.
There are the simplest versions of duck liver pate with vegetables, more complex recipes with two types of main ingredients - duck liver and chicken fillet. The most interesting in taste and original in appearance is the recipe for pate with lingonberry jelly filling.
Ingredients:
- half a kilo of duck liver;
- half a carrot;
- small onion;
- a spoon of sunflower oil;
- 2-3 spoons of sour cream;
- fine salt to taste;
- a couple of pinches of ground pepper;
- a pinch of ground nutmeg.
Step-by-step recipe for duck liver pate
Rinse and peel the vegetables. Chop the onions and carrots thinly and smaller.
Sort and inspect the duck liver. There should be no green or black areas on it. Throw away such copies immediately. Cut off the remaining pieces from the films. Rinse. Dry on paper towels.
Heat some oil in a frying pan. Lay out the chopped vegetables. Fry a little. Add liver. Fry everything over moderate heat until the food is cooked through. Add sour cream, salt and ground spices. Instead of pepper and nutmeg, it is permissible to take turmeric, cloves or dried herbs. Simmer everything for just a minute.
Cool the mixture. Place in blender bowl. Puree until smooth and without lumps. Place the pate in a clean and dry jar or container. You can use the pate immediately, but you only need to store it covered in the refrigerator.
Duck liver pate is useful for breakfast sandwiches and picnics. You can prepare canapés from liver and wheat bread with the addition of fresh vegetables - cucumber, bell pepper, cherry tomatoes.
Option 2: Quick recipe for duck liver pate
To quickly make a delicious liver pate from duck liver, use this recipe. It contains a minimum of ingredients, but they are all important and give a special taste and aroma to the finished snack.
Ingredients:
- half a kilo of duck liver;
- half an onion and half an onion;
- 2-3 cloves of garlic (or a head of young vegetable);
- salt and ground spices to taste;
- approximately 100 g butter.
How to quickly cook duck liver pate
Prepare the vegetables. Wash them, clean them of all excess. Grind the carrots through a grater. And cut the onion and garlic into smaller pieces with a knife. Place everything in a frying pan with a thick bottom. Add half the butter (50 g). Sauté over low heat until golden brown.
In the meantime, inspect the duck liver. Cut off the films. Rinse the liver, wipe with paper towels or blot with napkins. Place in the pan with the vegetables. Fry until done. But do not turn up the heat above moderate.
Add salt and sprinkle with ground spices. You can use a regular mixture of ground spices. At the end of cooking, add the rest of the oil and mix thoroughly. Remove from heat, cool at room temperature.
To make the mixture cool faster, stir it for a couple of minutes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEUTUYiKPiI
In addition to butter, you can add a little cream to the appetizer when stewing. These products are used to make dry liver soft and tender. Spread the pâté while still warm on toast for breakfast. If you prepared a lot of snacks, it doesn’t matter. Leave the pate in the jar, close the lid and store it in the refrigerator.
Option 3: Duck liver pate with white wine and cream
Duck liver pate with white wine and cream will turn out simply gorgeous. Delicate taste with a spicy note of dry wine. Here you can experiment and take a different wine. Dry red or semi-sweet wine, fruit or berry liqueur are suitable.
Ingredients:
- 450 gr. liver;
- 150 gr. celery root;
- spoon of butter;
- half a glass of white wine;
- 30-40 ml cream;
- fine salt to taste;
- a couple of pinches of ground white pepper;
- a pinch of ground coriander.
How to cook
Peel the celery root and rinse. Cut into thin slices. Fry in butter in a frying pan. Make the fire moderate.
Rinse the liver. Blot dry with paper towels or napkins. Add to the celery in the pan. Stir and fry until done.
Add white wine and cream. Add some salt, white pepper and coriander. Mix everything and simmer until the mixture thickens. Then remove from heat and cool to room temperature.
Grind with a blender to form a paste. Transfer to a jar or container. The snack can be consumed immediately. It is better to store in the refrigerator.
To keep the pate better and longer in the refrigerator, make an oil “plug”. Pour melted butter or ghee and salt onto the pate in the jar. You only need a layer of half a centimeter.
Option 4: Duck liver pate with chicken fillet
Chicken will help diversify duck liver pate. You can take chicken liver or fillet. This recipe uses the second option. Chicken fillet will increase the nutritional value of the pate.
Ingredients:
- 250 gr. duck liver;
- about the same amount of chicken fillet;
- about 80-90 gr. butter;
- onion head;
- table salt to taste;
- a couple of turns of the mill with peppercorns.
Step by step recipe
Wash and rinse the onion. Cut into smaller pieces. Place in a frying pan with oil. Fry slightly over moderate heat.
Rinse the duck liver and chicken fillet and wipe off any moisture. Cut into pieces.
Add the fillet to the onion. Fry until almost done. Add liver. Cook until the fillet and liver are free of blood. When the pieces are pierced, clear juice should come out. Add some salt and pepper. Cool the mixture.
Grind the fried mixture to a puree. This can be done with an immersion blender or meat grinder.
Appetizer liver pate with chicken fillet is suitable for multi-layer canapés for the holiday. Simply cut thin slices of wheat or rye bread into equal cubes. Spread the pate on them. Prick with small skewers. Place figuratively on a plate or saucer.
Option 5: Duck liver pate covered with lingonberry jelly
This recipe is unusual in that the pate is covered with lingonberry jelly. In addition to this, spicy herbs are also used - dried thyme.
Ingredients:
- 500 gr. duck liver;
- onion head;
- 70-80 gr. ghee;
- two tablespoons of red wine;
- juice from two slices of lemon;
- 200 gr. lingonberries;
- 120 ml boiled cold water;
- half a tablespoon of gelatin;
- salt to taste;
- 1-2 pinches of dried thyme.
How to cook
Rinse the lingonberries and place them in a saucepan. Add lemon juice, red wine and a pinch of salt. Press with a masher until each berry is crushed. Simmer the mixture over low heat for 4-5 minutes. Blend with a blender until smooth. You can additionally rub through a fine iron sieve.
Soak loose gelatin (if desired, it can be replaced with agar-agar) in water. After 6-8 minutes, cook over low heat until dissolved. Don't boil.
Mix berry sauce with gelatin. Leave to cool at room temperature.
Prepare the pate. Peel, rinse and chop the onion. Rinse the liver and dry it. Fry the onion and liver in melted butter. Add salt and dried thyme to taste.
Grind the mixture to a paste in a blender. Place in a jar or container. Top with a layer of lingonberry jelly. Keep in the refrigerator until the jelly layer hardens.
When spreading the snack on slices of bread, grab both layers - pate and jelly.
For berry jelly, it is permissible to take not only lingonberries. You can add cranberries to it, as well as any citrus juice instead of lemon. It will turn out very tasty and unusual.
Categories
Duck liver pate, prepared at home using this simple recipe, turns out very tasty and incredibly tender.
This wonderful pate can be prepared for a whole week at once, because even after quite a long time spent in the refrigerator, it will spread perfectly on bread.
I offer you an excellent option for a simple and tasty snack - suitable for breakfast and a light dinner. Duck liver pate is very convenient to take with you for a snack at work or on a picnic.
Ingredients:
- duck liver - 800 grams
- butter - 50 grams
- onion - 1 medium head
- carrots - 1 pc.
- ground allspice - 0.5 teaspoon
- cream 20% - 120 ml
- ground nutmeg - 0.5 tsp
- salt - 1 teaspoon
- garlic - 3 cloves
Homemade duck liver pate
Heat the frying pan well and put butter in it (take 50 grams). Peel the garlic (take 3 cloves) and press each clove with the back of a knife. Place it in the oil for literally one minute. Then remove it from the pan.
Cut 800 grams of washed duck liver into two or three parts, removing the film. Wipe dry with a paper towel and place in a frying pan. Fry until done. We check for readiness by piercing a knife - if the juice that comes out is clear, then the duck liver is ready.
Pour 20% cream into the pan with the liver (take 120 ml). Cook, stirring for one or two minutes until the cream warms up and boils.
We clean the vegetables. Cut the onion (take one medium onion) into small cubes, and cut one medium carrot into strips. Fry in a heated frying pan with butter until soft.
Place duck liver and vegetables in a blender bowl. Add 0.5 teaspoon of allspice and a teaspoon of salt. Bring to a homogeneous mass using an immersion blender. This can also be easily done with a meat grinder, but in this case you need to pass the products through a fine sieve twice.
Our simple and delicious homemade duck liver pate is almost ready - all you have to do is place it in a storage container with a tight-fitting lid and place it in the refrigerator to cool completely.
Duck liver pate
Preparation time: 1 day 6 hours
Number of servings: 4 pcs.
The recipe is suitable for: picnic, snack, breakfast.
How to make duck liver pate
Duck liver pate prepared according to this recipe turns out incredibly tender. It is easily applied to a slice of bread even after a day spent in the refrigerator. Can be prepared for a whole week at once.
An excellent snack option - suitable for breakfast or instead of a light dinner. It’s also convenient to take with you to work for a snack or on a picnic. Children eat with great pleasure.
How to cook “Duck liver pate” step by step with photos at home
Prepare all the necessary ingredients: duck liver, carrots and onions (one unit each, but large), garlic, salt, cream, butter, nutmeg and allspice.
Heat the frying pan well and put butter (50 g) into it. Peel the garlic (3 cloves) and press each clove with the back of a knife. Place it in the oil for literally 1 minute. Then remove it from the pan.
Wash 800 g of liver under running water, cut into 2-3 parts, removing the film. Pat dry with a paper towel and place in the pan. Fry until done. Check readiness by piercing a knife - if the juice that comes out is clear, then the liver is ready.
Pour cream (120 ml) into the pan with the liver. Return to the heat for 1-2 minutes until the cream warms up and boils.
Peel the vegetables. Cut 1 onion into small cubes, 1 carrot into strips. Fry in a heated frying pan with butter until soft.
Place liver and vegetables in a blender bowl. Add 0.5 tsp. allspice ground pepper, 1 tsp. salt.
Using an immersion blender, blend until smooth. This can also be done with a meat grinder, but then you need to scroll twice through a fine sieve.
The pate is almost ready - all that remains is to place it in storage containers with tightly closed lids and put it in the refrigerator to cool completely.
Step-by-step cooking recipe
This pate can be made from chicken, turkey or goose liver. But if you have the opportunity to buy duck fat, in all cases it is better to use it.
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Source: https://www.vashi-recepti.ru/drugoe/pashtet-iz-utinoj-pecheni-v-domashnih-uslovijah.html
Ingredients
As has already become clear, the main product is duck liver. For a family of four you need to take 1 kg. Before washing it, remove excess fat and bile, which must be cut out very carefully.
If it gets into the liver, then the taste of the dish will greatly deteriorate. Then nothing can be done to correct it.
In addition to the liver, you will need another 1 liter of milk, a little sugar (50 g), salt, a mixture of peppers (ground), nutmeg and 150 ml of dry white wine to add a little acid. For vegetables you will need 2 large onions and one large carrot.
Food preparation
First, the duck liver needs to be washed well, cut into arbitrary pieces and placed in a pan. Then pour the milk in here and put it in the refrigerator overnight. Thanks to this procedure, all excess bitterness will go away.
In the morning, do not rush to work with the liver. First prepare the roast. Cut the onion into half rings, fry until transparent and add grated carrots. Don't forget to stir the vegetables.
Meanwhile, remove the liver from the milk and dry it. Then place in the pan with the onions and carrots. The liver gives a lot of juice, cover with a lid and simmer it, stirring occasionally. Salt and pepper to your taste. You can also add nutmeg to the tip of the knife, which emphasizes the taste and originality of the dish. Also add sugar to the liver.
Then add the wine and open the lid to evaporate. The liver is stewed for 10-15 minutes, no more. If you overcook it in a frying pan, it will become tough and lose its original taste.
When you have prepared everything, you can make duck liver pate. Preparing food at home is completely simple. Of course, you need to spend time, but it's worth it.
Salad with fried duck liver
Products
Duck liver – 350 grams Salad – 5-7 large young leaves Pear – 1 piece Raspberries – 20 pieces Wine vinegar – 3 tablespoons Olive oil – 5 tablespoons Salt – 1/2 teaspoon
How to make fried duck liver salad
1. Thaw the duck liver, if it was frozen, wash and dry.
2. Heat a frying pan, pour in olive oil, add duck liver and fry, stirring, for 7 minutes over medium heat. 3. Reduce heat to low, cover the pan with a lid and simmer the duck liver for 15 minutes. 4. Using a slotted spoon, place the liver in a bowl, leaving the oil in the pan, and let cool. 5. Peel the pear, cut out the seed pod, and cut into slices 0.5 centimeters thick. 6. In parts, in 1 layer, fry the pears in the oil remaining from frying the duck liver - 2 minutes on each side over medium heat. 7. Cover the bottom of the salad bowl with lettuce leaves. 8. Prepare the dressing: mix 15 raspberries with the remaining olive oil, wine vinegar and salt. 9. Cut the liver into large slices and place on lettuce leaves. 10. Pour some of the dressing over the top of the salad, lay out the pears and pour over the remaining dressing again. 11. Garnish the salad with fried duck liver with the remaining raspberries. Read also: Stewed beans with meat
The final stage
When the liver and vegetables are fried, additional ingredients are added, you can finish the dish. To do this, grind the mixture twice into a meat grinder. Sometimes the liver still becomes hard. Then it’s better to play it safe and twist it through a meat grinder three times.
Then transfer the mass into a container and blend it with a blender. To prevent the pate from turning out dry, add a little broth or boiled hot water. Using a blender, puree the mixture until smooth.
Now you have duck liver pate at home. The recipe is simple and anyone can do it. Transfer it from the pan to a smaller container, cover with a lid and put it in the refrigerator. When it hardens, you can spread it on sandwiches.
This pate is ideal for a holiday table. When serving, garnish it with herbs, which will emphasize the freshness of the dish.
Duck liver: recipe with photo
Now you can move on to the preparation itself. It's worth starting with spices. In a deep bowl, mix salt, flour and pepper, mix thoroughly. Pieces of liver are rolled in this mixture. Now heat the frying pan with sunflower oil. When it is hot enough, add the already deboned duck liver. The recipe with this ingredient comes together quickly; you only need to cook the product for ten minutes. Now sprinkle with dry herbs and leave in the pan.
Separately, fry the onion until golden brown. Add balsamic vinegar diluted with water and fry until the liquid evaporates. Combine these two ingredients. That's it, a great recipe with duck liver has been found!
Additional Ingredients
In addition to wine, you can add other products that go perfectly with liver. This includes cream, thick sour cream and even fermented baked milk. Each product adds its own unique flavor to the dish.
You can add chopped herbs, such as cilantro, basil or parsley, to the fried duck liver. Any greens will give the dish a unique, refined aroma. The same can be said about garlic. You don't need a lot of it. One, maximum two cloves are enough. It will emphasize not only the aroma, but also the taste.
Many men love fatty pate. It is considered more tasty. Therefore, instead of vegetable oil, you can add chicken fat. When it has melted, then put the liver there and fry it according to the recipe.
Prepare liver broth in advance. Since it is advisable to add it to the pate instead of water. Then the pate will have a rich smell and taste. You can add some herbs and your favorite spices to the broth.
Do you like spicy dishes with bitterness? Then ground ginger will not hurt you. It adds a little piquancy and bitterness to the dish. But hot peppers with seeds will help add spice. It is initially better to grind it in a meat grinder, then add it to the fried liver.
Duck liver fried with onions
PREPARATION:
We wash the liver, remove the film and cut it into pieces, put it in a colander and let the excess water drain. I like the liver to be in large pieces. Make sure that there is no gallbladder on the liver. If it is still there, carefully, without damaging it, cut it out and rinse the liver very well so that no bitterness remains.
Peel the onion, wash it, cut it into half rings and fry in vegetable oil until golden brown.
Separately, fry the liver in vegetable oil for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Don't forget to salt it. How to determine if the liver is ready? Pierce it at the thickest point with a fork or knife. If the liver produces clear juice and not blood, the liver is ready. It is advisable not to overcook it so that it is not dry, but remains juicy and tender.
Read also: Fettuccine with salmon photo
When the liver is ready, add flour, mix everything well and fry for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly. At the end of frying, add the overcooked onion, ground black pepper and mix everything again, turn off the stove, close the lid and let the liver soak.
Duck liver, a juicy and tender dish, is ready.
Serve it with a side dish or vegetables. Cook pearl barley porridge in the oven or mashed potatoes and a tasty, satisfying second course is ready. Invite everyone to the table and have fun.
Not everyone knows how many recipes there are with duck liver. Chicken or veal is more common. Despite its fat content, duck liver is a tasty dish; it makes delicious pates and main courses. However, it is worth taking into account that such a product is prepared quickly and it is important not to overdry it.
The second option for preparing chicken liver pate
This method is more suitable for those who do not want to gain extra calories. This recipe is simpler, and the dish is no less tasty. To prepare, take 1 kg of liver, carefully remove the bile, cut it and soak in milk overnight. Do everything as described in the previous recipe.
The next morning, cut the liver and place it in a pan of water. Place whole carrots and onions there. When the broth boils, add salt and pepper to taste. Cook vegetables and liver until tender.
Then remove the food from the broth into an empty container. Chop carrots and onions with a knife. Then blend the vegetables and liver with a blender at low speed. Add some broth. Then turn on high speed and beat until smooth. If the liver is dry, you can add more broth. Add liquid as desired.
You have made a very tasty duck liver pate at home. The recipe for this option is also simple and every housewife can easily handle it.
Of course, you can add your favorite spices, seasonings and herbs. Then the dish can be called original and unique.
Quick recipe with duck liver
For this recipe you need to prepare the following ingredients:
- 500 grams of liver;
- onion, large enough;
- a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar;
- dry spices - thyme and celery, a pinch;
- a teaspoon of ground pepper;
- salt to taste;
- a little flour;
- vegetable oil for frying.
When preparing this recipe with duck liver, you should start by preparing the main ingredient. If the product is frozen, then it is worth defrosting it. The pieces are also washed and the veins are cut off. Each piece can be divided into three or four parts, depending on the desired size of the final dish.
Tips for choosing a liver
Like any product, you need to be able to choose the right liver so that the dish exceeds your expectations. First of all, you need to pay attention to the decoration of the display case. If it is clean and well-groomed, this is a plus for the seller. Look not only at the price tag, but also at the sell-by date. If the dates are not indicated, this is a risk for the buyer.
Look at the bile ducts. Sometimes they are very dirty, which means that the duck was old. Accordingly, it is quite difficult to put such a liver in order. Moreover, it will fry and cook for a very long time.
Pay attention to the color of the liver. If it has yellowish, greenish, or orange tints, then the bird was sick or was fed artificial additives that help it grow faster.
Sticky liver means the product is gone. It’s better not to buy it, because it won’t lead to anything good. If you have paid attention to all the above tips, then you will not have any problems choosing a liver.
Recipe 8: Tender homemade duck pate
Duck pate in the culinary world is a homogeneous minced meat, which is not particularly difficult to make at home, and it always turns out perfectly tasty. In cookbooks you can find a variety of variations for preparing pates from any product. The most popular is the liver version. However, today we will talk about preparing the most tender and aromatic pate from duck meat.
It is prepared from any part of the bird, with or without skin. Vegetables and spices are added to the mixture to taste, giving the dish a special taste and aroma. Therefore, many recipes differ from each other in the variety of ingredients and their processing technology. And if you change the additional components every time, you can always get a real culinary masterpiece.
Duck pate is served as a cold appetizer. You can serve it on bread toast, waffle baskets, or simply put it beautifully on a saucer. It is usually stored for two to three days. However, this period can be extended to 10-12 days. To do this, you need to compact it into a jar and pour melted fat or butter - these products serve as natural preservatives.
- Duck – 400 grams (any part)
- Carrots – 2 pcs.
- Onions – 2 pcs.
- Garlic – 3-5 cloves
- Bay leaf – 2 pcs.
- Allspice peas – 3 pcs.
- Butter – 50 grams
- Vegetable oil - for frying
- Salt and pepper - to taste
Wash the duck, remove internal fat and divide the carcass into parts. Select the part from which you want to make pate. In my case, it's breast. However, you can make pate from drumsticks or thighs.
So, wash the duck fillet and, if desired, remove the skin. If you want a fattier snack, you can leave the peel.
Place the meat in a cooking pot, add the peeled onion, a few cloves of garlic, bay leaf and peppercorns.
Fill the food with water and boil. After that, remove the foam from the surface of the water with a slotted spoon, add a little salt, close the pan with a lid, turn the temperature to minimum and cook the meat until soft, about 50-60 minutes.
Meanwhile, sauté the chopped onion, carrots and garlic in vegetable oil in a preheated frying pan.
Fry the vegetables until fully cooked and golden brown.
When the meat is cooked and the vegetables are fried, pass them through the middle grid of the meat grinder. Do this twice to make the pate more tender and smooth. You can also use a blender or food processor to grind food.
Place room temperature butter into the paste.
Mix the ingredients well. Taste the appetizer and add salt or pepper if necessary.
Place the finished pate in an airtight container and store it in the refrigerator.
If desired, the snack can be flavored and the taste improved by adding any herbs, spices and products. For example, nutmeg, cognac, and walnuts go well with duck meat.
Recipe 9: how to cook duck pate
The unusual, creamy, aromatic taste of this pate will be an excellent appetizer for any occasion. Duck meat along with spicy spices will merge into a real symphony of taste, where you will be the conductor and composer.
- Duck breasts or other parts of the carcass - 400 g
- Carrots - 1 pc.
- Onion - 2 pcs.
- Pork lard - 100 g
- Garlic - 2-3 cloves
- Bay leaf - 3 pcs.
- Allspice peas - 3 pcs.
- Salt - 1 tsp. or to taste
- Ground black pepper - a pinch or to taste
- Vegetable oil - for frying
Duck meat is usually fatty, so remove all internal fat from it first. Also remove the skin, because... it contains quite a lot of fat, and therefore cholesterol. Wash the meat and dry with a paper towel.
Place the duck in the pan, add the peeled and washed onion, add bay leaf and peppercorns.
Pour drinking water over the bird, boil over high heat, skim off the resulting foam, turn the heat to low and cook the bird for about 1 hour until soft.
If the meat was on the bone, then measure it and leave it to cool slightly.
Peel the carrots, garlic and onion, rinse and cut into any pieces.
In a hot frying pan in vegetable oil over medium heat, sauté the food until lightly golden and soft.
Pass the boiled meat, sautéed onions and lard through a meat grinder.
Then grind the ingredients through the meat grinder again, and for a more delicate taste, you can twist it again. Season the food with salt and pepper, pour 5-6 tbsp. broth in which the duck was cooked and stir. The broth will make the pate more juicy.
In principle, the pate is ready and can be served. But, I suggest wrapping it in cling film and shaping it into a sausage so that it looks beautiful on the dish.
Send it to cool in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours and you can serve the table by cutting it into portions about 5-7 mm thick. If desired, before serving, the appetizer can be decorated with a sprig of thyme, currants, cherries or herbs.
The tender and tasty duck pate, the recipe for which is below, will appeal to both adults and children. Duck pate is easy to prepare, and you will definitely succeed if you read our recommendations on how to cook duck pate.
How to cook duck pate - recipe ingredients
Makes 1 cup (250 g) duck pate
- 1 long Icelandic or white Peking duck, weighing about 2.5 kg, thawed, giblets saved for another dish or discarded
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 bay leaf, chopped
- 1 fresh thyme sprout, coarsely chopped, or 0.5 teaspoon dried thyme
- salt and freshly ground pepper
- baguette or other French bread, cut into slices, or small crackers for serving
Duck fat for making duck pate
Duck fat is a favorite in French cuisine, but the original reason for its use is basic rustic frugality. Under the skin of the duck there is a thick layer of fat, which melts as the bird cooks. You can use it to fry not only scrambled eggs or potatoes, but also the duck itself. Duck fat is purchased in specialty stores or gourmet butchers. You can also melt it yourself. The finished pate can be kept in the freezer for a maximum of 2 months.
Duck pate - recipe
To prepare the duck pâté according to the recipe, remove the belly fat from the duck and set aside. Using a sharp knife, cut off the breast and reserve for another dish. Cut off the legs and thighs and set aside. Trim the fat and skin from the duck carcass and add to the previously stored fat. Save the carcass.
Place the duck legs and thighs in a dish large enough to form a single layer. In a small bowl, combine garlic, bay leaf, thyme, 1 teaspoon salt, and 0.25 teaspoon pepper. Rub the mixture over the legs and thighs, cover and refrigerate overnight, following the recipe for duck pate.
Coarsely chop the reserved fat and place it in a large heavy frying pan along with the carcass. Pour in water (12 mm layer). Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat to low and cook for about 45 minutes until the fat is rendered and the duck is golden brown when cooked into the duck pâté. Stir once or twice during the first 10 minutes. Place in a fine sieve lined with gauze (calico). Discard solid parts. Cool the rendered fat and place it in the refrigerator.
Rinse duck legs and thighs under cold running water and discard garlic and herbs. Reheat the rendered fat until it has melted. Place the legs and thighs in a small frying pan and add enough melted fat to coat them to make the duck pate. Bring to a low simmer over medium heat. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook for about an hour, until meat is tender and easily falls off the bones. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the duck pieces to a work surface. Pour the fat into a heatproof container and set aside to cool, but it should still be liquid. When the duck pieces are cool enough, remove and discard the skin and bones and place the meat in a bowl to prepare the duck pate.
Using two forks, tear the meat into fibers. Stir in 125ml of the reserved fat. Season to taste with salt and pepper and place in a 250 ml cup. Pour the remaining fat on top to cover the entire surface. Refrigerate for at least 2 days to allow flavors to meld. Serve pate at room temperature with bread or crackers.
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