Habitat for Humanity Manatee County

November is all about families! Its National Family Week and Thanksgiving. It’s getting cooler and darker earlier in the day and we naturally turn to more wintery dishes and spend more time around the family dinner table.

We wanted to share some of our Manatee Habitat Family favorite holiday recipes with all of you for National Family Week! This pate’ recipe comes from our Marketing Director, KC, who learned how to make this dish while living in France. While they don’t celebrate Thanksgiving in France, they certainly do celebrate families and good food!

KC wanted you to know this sounds complicated but it really isn’t and has become a tradition in her home from Thanksgiving through Christmas!

INGREDIENTS

• 3/4 cup Cognac
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 onion minced
• 2 1/2 pounds ground pork
• 24 slices bacon divided 8 for the pate & 16 to line the pan
• 3 cloves garlic minced or put through press
• 2 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 2 1/2 tablespoons fresh thyme chopped
• 1 /12 teaspoons allspice
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 2 beaten eggs
• 1/3 cup whipping cream
• 6-8 ounces high quality ham steak

PREPARATION

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Bring cognac to a simmer and reduce to 1/2 cup then set aside to cool.
3. Sauté onions in butter until soft then set aside to cool.
4. Place pork in mixing bowl.
5. Chop 8 slices of bacon and add to pork along with onion, salt, thyme, allspice and pepper.
6. Mix in eggs, cream & cognac.
7. Line loaf pan with bacon slices and spread 1/2 pate mixture in bottom.
8. Cut ham into 1/4-inch slices and place in one layer in loaf pan.
9. Top with remaining pate’.
10. Fold bacon slices over pate’ starting with long sides of pan and end with pate’ being encased in bacon.
11. Cover tightly with non stick foil and place in roasting pan on lowest rack.
12. Pour boiling water into roasting pan and bake for 2-2 ½ hours until internal temperature reaches 155F.
13. Remove from oven and top with heavy cans.
14. Refrigerate for 24 hours.
15. To unmold pate’, place in roasting pan and fill with hot water. Let stand for 2-3 minutes.
16. Turn Pate’ onto serving plate and slice.
17. Serve with Dijon Mustard, crusty country bread and Gherkins.