Goose (or Duck) Pate

Breast meat replaces liver in this classic pate, so folks who don’t care for offal may be willing to try this variation. The versatile spread can be served as an appetizer, slathered on a sandwich, as a topping on a baked potato, or included on a cheese board.

Goose_Pate_Sandwich_girlgamechef

Sandwich of Goose Pate, Caramelized Onions, Romaine, Crispy French Fried Onions, and Blackberry-Sherry Vinegar Mayonnaise

Yield:               About 3 cups

Time:               2½ hours (mostly inactive) plus overnight refrigeration

 

1 – 1½ lb. duck breasts or goose breasts, boneless, skinless *

½ c. white wine

½ c. dry sherry

2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

2 tsp. lemon juice

1 large onion, chopped

2 tsp. celery seed

2 sprigs fresh thyme

1 1” sprig fresh rosemary

2 cloves of garlic, minced

2 ½ tsp. seasoned salt, divided

5 slices raw bacon

 ½ tsp. celery salt

1 hard-boiled egg

½ c. mayonnaise

1 ½ - 2 Tbsp. horseradish

¼ tsp. ground black pepper

 Baguette slices or crackers

Avocado slices (optional)

Sieved hard-boiled egg yolk (optional)

Pickled apple and onion slices (optional)

 * Bone-in thighs could also be substituted but the cook time will be longer

Cut duck breasts in half (or quarter goose breasts). Tie thyme and rosemary into a piece of cheesecloth to create a sachet. Put meat, wine, sherry, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, onion, celery seed, herb sachet, and 2 tsp. seasoned salt in a saucepan. Add enough water to nearly cover. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 1 ½ hours. Add bacon and simmer an additional 30 minutes (meat should be tender yet firm when pierced with a paring knife). Remove from heat and transfer meat and cooking liquid to a lidded container, refrigerate 5-10 hours or overnight. Strain meat, reserving the cooking liquid. Scrape onions from pieces of meat and cut into 1 – 1 ½” cubes. Using a food processor, combine meat, bacon, celery salt, remaining ½ tsp. seasoned salt, hard-boiled egg, mayonnaise, horseradish, and pepper, pulsing until mixture is mostly smooth, adding cooking liquid as necessary for desired spreadable texture. (As an extra measure, mixture can be forced through a medium-mesh colander to help find any remaining pieces of shot.) Store refrigerated for up to 1 week. Freezes well.

I discovered this recipe years ago in a Ducks Unlimited cookbook, originally appearing as “Nancy Young’s Duck Breast Pate.” It was originally written to be a moderately coarse texture and used dry herbs and a heavier hand with the horseradish. I’ve made adjustments to include using fresh herbs, processing it to a smooth spread, and decreasing the horseradish to a more subtle level. Since the intensity of horseradish in a dish, like heat level for chilies, is subjective, feel free to increase it to suit your taste. And like chilies, start with a little, taste and add as you go.

 Making a fine, smoother spread also allows you to add another layer of “filtration” to the process by putting the mixture through a mesh strainer or fine colander. This will help sort out any small pieces of shot or bone hiding in the pate.

 Serve it atop crackers or toasted baguette slices with a variety of condiments:

  • Little dollops of a savory-sweet topping like the pineapple-tomato chutney pictured

  • Briny things like pickled cucumbers, pickled apples and onion add a pleasant contrast, or

  • Traditional toppings like sieved hard-boiled egg yolks or chopped avocado