Pâtes, terrines, galantines, balontines in Seattle

[Sleepy_Dragon]

Soon I'll be attempting to make my first pate, terrine, and galantine or balontine in the days to come in school. This kind of stuff is almost all beyond my taste experience (read: eaten very little, what little I had I didn't like), and it seems like a good idea to try and find good local places to try them first in order to have a starting taste memory to shoot for.

Any suggestions?

Pat

[chromedome]

I don't have any personal knowledge of Seattle, but I would suggest an upscale market rather than a hotel or restaurant. Won't hurt you quite so deeply in the ol' student budget.

The forcemeats are, all told, rather fun...but peeling the skin off the chicken in one piece for the galantine is a pain in the arse. You may want to buy a few whole chickens; I'd be inclined to practice that particular skill more so than training my tastebuds.

Just a thought, from one who'd "been there done that" during the fall semester.

[Sleepy_Dragon]

Hm, that's true, a market would be more affordable. Got any places you like that really get it right?

I really have no reference point for how a good version of these items should taste. I can deal with just not liking them though intend to do my best to eventually enjoy them, but I still need to know what a good one is.

Also agree about practicing the skinning part, nekkid chickens here I come!

Pat

[tighe]

We've bought good pates and mousses from Larry's, DeLaurenti's and Whole Food.

It's too bad that Cassis is no longer around, that was one of their specialties.

You probably have plenty of recipes, but just in case, I've had good success with the pate de compagne recipe from the Jacques & Julia book.

Edited July 15, 2004 by tighe (log)

[Really Nice!]

Soon I'll be attempting to make my first pate, terrine, and galantine or balontine in the days to come in school. This kind of stuff is almost all beyond my taste experience (read: eaten very little, what little I had I didn't like), and it seems like a good idea to try and find good local places to try them first in order to have a starting taste memory to shoot for.

Any suggestions?

Pat

I love making this stuff! Last weekend I made a chicken galantine stuffed with truffle and foie gras. Here's the basics:

2 chicken breasts/2 chicken thighs

remove fillet from chicken breasts; set it aside

run chicken thighs through food processor with cream, kosher salt, black truffle oil, and herbs de provence

Mince about 2 ounce foie gras; gently fold into minced chicken

Pound chicken breasts flat on plastic wrap

Season with salt and pepper

Layer with thinly sliced truffle

Top with minced chicken thigh

Top with fillet

Roll with plastic wrap; wrap in foil

Poach it at 150F for about 30 minutes.

Chill overnight in fridge

This dish is served cold so season it more than you normally would because the taste buds have difficulty picking up the flavors on cold items.

Tighe is right about Larry's, DeLaurenti's and Whole Foods. A few local restaurants that can also guide you include Le Pichet and Campagne.

Here's some notes from my culinary school days.

Charcuterie

• Charcuterie rewards tough cuts
  
• Plat de Charcuterie
  • Pâté is cold meatloaf. Nothing to be afraid of.
    
  • Pâté en Croute means pâté in a crust. *Required to qualify as pâté en croute.
    • *Ground meat, smooth using straight method.
      *Make a crust.
      *Aspic (geleé) is a clarified gelled cold stock.
      *Internal garnish such as a tender cut.
      

  [*] Terrine is an earthenware mold. Also anything cooked or shaped into the mold.

  [*] Confit is duck or goose cooked in its own fat. It preserves the meat because fat covers the meat.

  [*] Rillette is an appetizer, made usually of pork or goose meat, that is diced, seasoned, cooked, and then pounded or ground to the consistency of a spread. Fatty pork, sometimes duck, that is poached and confitted.

  [*] Campagne (the charcuterie, not the restaurant ) uses a high amount of fat and liver. Features smoothness and viscosity.

[Coop]

Le Pichet always has some tasty pate and mousse on their menu. Nice glass of Rose, some cornichons etc...

[malarkey]

Head to Whole Foods and try out some of the offerings of Fabrique Delices and Trois Petit Cochons.

The smooth pâtés 'en geleé' are of very good quality. I adore how these taste, but if you are not used to pâté, they might come on a bit rich. They have goose and duck ones, some with truffles, some with cognac, and a whole slew of "country" pâtés, which I haven't tried yet, but that's because the smooth pâtés suck me in every time.

[trillium]

I like the Trois Petit Cochons products a lot, including the country style ones. I didn't like any of the Fabrique Delices I tried, especially the smooth ones. They didn't have as good of a complex flavor or a smooth rich mouth feel. Now that I've started making charcuterie at home, I've taken to trying out whatever is on the menu at various restaurants. You might just stop by for a glass of wine and a slice at some of Seattle's French influenced places.

regards,

trillium

[Sleepy_Dragon]

Thanks for the suggestions and leads, everyone. I'll try and hit some of these places very soon, before it's my turn to actually make these things in school!

Pat