Fish Pâté
Herbed trout mousse and whole fillets are combined into a tender fish terrine, which is served with a crab-based cream sauce. Mixtures for pates, using as they do raw fish (or other meats) and eggs, must be kept cold as they are prepared. Chef Kerageorgiou accomplishes this by processing ice right into the mixture. Chefs have all sorts of ingenious ideas: Kerageorgiou uses butter wrappers as his “buttered paper” when lining the terrine pan.
Ingredients
- Trout or Other firm fish - 2 pounds
- Shallots - 2 tablespoons
- Juice of 1 lime
- Dry white wine - 1/2 cup
- Thyme - 2 sprigs, or 1/2 teaspoon dry
- Bay Leaf - 1
- Olive Oil - 1/2 cup
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- Milk - 1 cup
- Unsalted Butter - 3 ounces
- Flour - 1 cup
- Egg Yolks - 3
- Ice cubes - 4 to 6
- Eggs - 4
- Dash of cayenne
- Heavy (whipping) cream - 1 cup
- Dash of nutmeg
- Unsalted Butter - 2 tablespoons
- Tarragon - 1 tablespoon, chopped
- Sauce
- Crabs - 4, cleaned but not cooled
- Unsalted Butter - 2 ounces
- Shallots - 2 tablespoons, minced
- Thyme - 2 sprigs, stemmed and chopped
- Parsley - 1 tablespoon, minced
- Dry white wine - 1/2 cup
- Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- Cayenne Pepper - 1/4 teaspoon
- Heavy (whipping) cream - 1/2 cup
- Bay Leaf - 1
Instructions
To prepare the pate: Filet the fish, bone, and remove the skin. Put the fish into a non-aluminum bowl with the shallots, lime juice, wine, thyme, bay leaf, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Marinate for an hour. Grind all but two of the fillets in a food processor. Put the two whole fillets in a medium saute pan with the marinade and bring to a boil; reduce to simmer and cook about 6 minutes, until the fish flakes easily. Remove the fish and set aside. Continue cooking the marinade until it is reduced by half. In a saucepan, heat the milk, butter, and a little salt. Add the flour all at once. Beat vigorously until the mixture (panade) forms a ball. Beat in two of the egg yolks off the heat, one at a time. Add 1/4 cup of the ground fish to a food processor and pulse, then add 1/4 cup of the panade and a small piece of ice. Pulse again. Repeat. When half of the fish and the panade are used, add the eggs and remaining yolk. Continue alternating the panade, ground fish, and ice. Add salt, pepper, and cayenne, then slowly add the cream while the machine is running. Add the nutmeg and 1 tablespoon of butter and pulse. Add the remaining butter and tarragon and pulse.
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line a terrine with buttered paper and put half the ground mixture into the terrine. Lay the fillets on top and cover with the remaining ground fish mixture. Put the terrine into a baking pan and fill halfway up the sides of the terrine with hot water. Bake 45 minutes, or until the mousse is puffed and golden brown. Remove from the oven.
To prepare the sauce: Chop the crabs roughly into pieces and saute in butter with the shallots, thyme, and parsley until the crabs turn color. Add wine, salt, pepper, cayenne, and cream. Heat to boiling. Add the bay leaf, reduce heat, and simmer until the sauce has reduced and thickened. Strain into another pan and reduce again to the consistency of whipping cream.
To serve: Invert the terrine on a plate. Trim the browned portions. Place 1 or 2 slices on each serving plate, and cover with sauce.
