Chicken and Herb Pate En Croute
Bring a little taste of France to my table always feels like a treat - and nothing says "wow" quite like a classic French Pate en Croute. Imagine a buttery, flaky crust, a satisfying crunch from the chopped almonds, with a slight zing from the cornichons, this meaty French classic is absolutely delicious! -Katherine Burns (@rue.dauphine.paris)
Ingredients:
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 3 uncooked Italian sausages
- 1 ½ cups cooked ham, diced
- 1 cup cornichons, chopped
- 1 cup unsalted almonds, roughly chopped
- 2 eggs
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 large shallot, minced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- Juice of 1 lemon Zest of 1 lemon
- 1 tablespoon Dijon Mustard
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon Herbs de Provence
- Pinch of kosher salt
- Freshly ground pepper
- 3 sheets of puff pastry (store bought)
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- In a small pan over medium heat, melt butter, add shallots and garlic, sauté until translucent but not browned. Set aside to cool.
- Cut one chicken breast into ½ inch strips, place in a small bowl, squeeze the juice of one lemon over chicken, let it marinate for 15 minutes, set aside.
- Dice the remaining chicken breast, place in a large bowl.
- Remove the sausage from their casings, break them into small pieces and add to the diced chicken.
- Add ham, 1 egg, sautéed shallots and garlic, Dijon mustard, Herbs de Provence, lemon zest, salt, pepper, gently combine all ingredients.
- Roll out two sheets of the puff pastry. Lay one sheet inside half of a 9-inch loaf pan, allowing the pastry to overlap the edges to make the crust. Add the second puff pastry sheet to the other side of the pan.
- Layering it like a lasagna - spread half of the meat mixture evenly over the bottom of the pan. Add an even layer of chopped almonds, then the strips of chicken breast, followed by the cornichons and the remaining meat mixture.
- Roll out the third sheet of puff pastry, cut in half lengthwise and add to the top as the cover. Roll the edges of the puff pastry up to create a crust.
- In a small bowl add the remaining egg and a splash of water, mix well then brush over the top of the pastry. Poke a ventilation hole in the center. Place it on a cookie sheet and bake for 1 hour, 15 minutes. (Lightly cover with foil after 35 minutes to prevent it from over browning.)
- Cool and refrigerate overnight.
- Serve with a green salad.
Enjoy!
Recipe by Katherine Burns, @rue.dauphine.paris
