Glazed Venison Pate
Submitted by lvwprst
Venison pate with pork belly and chicken livers, marinated overnight in red wine with orange zest, thyme, and garlic, then baked in a terrine and finished with aspic glaze.
YIELD
2 servingsPREP
2 hrsCOOK
2 hrsREADY
12 hrsThis is proper British terrine-making. Venison, pork belly, and chicken livers minced together, marinated overnight in red wine with orange and lemon zest, garlic, thyme, and olive oil, then baked low and slow in a water bath until set. It’s a project, and the result is worth every hour.
The three-meat combination is deliberate. Venison brings the lean, gamey flavor. Pork belly adds the fat needed for a smooth, sliceable texture. Chicken livers contribute a creamy richness and that distinctive pate depth that neither of the other meats can deliver alone.
The overnight marinade is what separates this from a basic meat loaf. Red wine, citrus zest, vinegar, and thyme have 12 hours to penetrate and flavor every strand of meat. By the time it goes into the oven, the mixture smells like something from a French charcuterie.
Baking in a water bath at a low temperature for over two hours cooks the pate gently and evenly, preventing the edges from drying out while the center sets. Pressing with weights afterward compacts the texture so it slices cleanly.
The aspic glaze is the finishing touch: the collected cooking juices mixed with orange juice and dissolved gelatine, poured over the cooled pate and chilled until set. Bay leaves and sliced kumquats pressed into the glaze make it look as refined as it tastes.
Pro Tips
- Fry a small nugget of the seasoned mixture before baking to check the salt level. You can’t adjust once it’s in the terrine
- Use a bulb baster to remove the juices cleanly. Every drop goes into the aspic
- Press with no more than 2 pounds of weight. Too much squeezes out the fat and dries the pate
- This keeps beautifully for up to a week in the fridge, improving in flavor after the first two days
Variations
- Port and juniper: Replace red wine with port and add crushed juniper berries to the marinade
- Pistachio studded: Fold in ½ cup whole shelled pistachios before packing into the terrine for green-speckled slices
- Duck liver swap: Use duck livers instead of chicken for a richer, more intense pate
Ingredients
Directions
Mince all three meats fairly finely and put them into a bowl.
Add the zest of the orange and lemon, the crushed garlic, the thyme, olive oil, vinegar, a generous pinch of powdered bay and plenty of black pepper.
Mix thoroughly and stir in the wine.
Cover and leave to marinate overnight.
Season with salt - I find 1 teaspoon about right but fry a small nugget of the mixture to check.
Turn the pate into a terrine of about 2¼ pint capacity.
Pack the mixture well down into the corners of the dish and use a spoon to hollow out slightly the centre top.
Cover with greaseproof paper and foil, stand the dish in a roasting pan containing enough hot water to come halfway up the sides of the dish.
Bake at 325℉ (160℃) gas mark 3 for 2¼ to 2½ hours.
Using a bulb baster, remove and reserve most of the juices that surround the pate.
Replace the greaseproof paper and foil, press the pate lightly with 1½ to 2 lb weights and cool for 1½ hours.
Then drain off any remaining juices that have not been re- absorbed by the pate.
Mix all the venison juices that you have collected with the juice of the orange and measure.
Add a splash of water if necessary to make ½ pint in total.
Dissolve the gelatine powder in the mixture and use it to glaze the pate, adding a few bay leaves and kumquats to decorate if liked.
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