Caxton magazines staffHaving catered for the likes of Prince William, bespoke caterer Tamara Le Pine-Williams of Salle a Manger (011 784 8334) knows how to make all her guests feel like VIPs whenever she entertains
INGREDIENTS
For the pate:
- 1,2kg pork belly, boned and skin removed, but reserved
- 150g pork fat
- salt and black pepper
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 sprig parsley
- 1 sprig thyme or rosemary
- 200ml cold water
For the orange and cointreau jelly:
- 10 sheets leaf gelatine
- 250g caster sugar
- ¾ cup water
- 600ml freshly-squeezed
- orange juice
- 20ml Cointreau
For the pork crackling:
- 30ml sunflower oil
- coarse sea salt
To serve:
- crusty French bread or melba toast
METHOD
1. Preheat the oven to 140°C.
2. To make the pâté: reserve the skin and cut the meat and pork fat into strips and mix together with 5ml salt, a good grind of black pepper and the crushed garlic. Pack the mixture into a roasting pan pushing the herbs into the meat. Pour the water over the top and cover with silver foil.
3. Bake on the central shelf of the oven for 4 hours. Stir occasionally to prevent a crust forming on top. When the meat is meltingly tender, pour the contents of the roasting pan into a sieve placed over a mixing bowl to catch the fat. Reserve this liquid fat.
4. Remove the herbs and pulse the meat in a food processor taking care not to make it too fine. Test the seasoning and add more salt and pepper to taste.
5. Pack the meat down into a large earthenware pot or small ones for individual servings. Pour enough of the reserved, drained pork fat over the meat to cover it by ½cm. Place in the refrigerator to set the fat and until ready to serve.
6. To make the orange and Cointreau jelly: place the gelatine in a shallow dish and just cover with some cold water; allow to soften for about 5 minutes. Dissolve the sugar in the ¾ cup of water in a pan over a medium heat. Stir in the orange juice and Cointreau and heat. Remove the softened gelatine from the water and stir it into the warm orange juice mixture, until it’s dissolved. Remove from the heat.
7. Line a shallow dish with clingfilm and pour in the jelly mixture. Cool and refrigerate until set. Chop into small cubes and place on top of the pâté.
8. To make the pork crackling: preheat the oven to 180°C. Pour boiling water over the pork skin. Leave it for about 5 minutes; remove it from the water and pat dry. To make strips of crackling, score the skin (a Stanley knife is great for this), rub with the sunflower oil and season well with coarse sea salt. Roast in the oven until crisp, about 30–40 minutes. Set aside.
9. Serve the pâté with the crackling and crusty French bread or melba toast.
Cook’s note: In France, most country towns have their own version of pâté. Serve it as a starter or combined with a watercress salad for lunch. The jelly will keep in the fridge for about 10 days. Use it as part of a dessert with strawberries tossed in icing sugar and Cointreau and grated orange zest.
Wine suggestion: Oak Valley Pinot Noir is one of Tamara’s favourites, “It’s a light red wine with strawberry, raspberry, mint and rose notes; it’s silky and ‘light on its feet’. Acid and tannins are beautifully balanced which make it perfect for putting down for a few years but is excellent for drinking now too.”
This recipe serves 8.
