Small Meat Pâtés

Ingredients

• 500 g flour
• 200 g lard
• Salt
• 5 egg yolks
• flour (for working)
• fat (for the form)
• 1 Shallot
• 2 Garlic cloves
• 500 g pork neck (boneless)
• 1 tsp fennel seeds
• 80 ml cold whipping cream
• pepper (from the mill)
• 5 tomatoes
• 3 shallots
• 3 cornichons
• 0.5 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 tbsp Olive Oil

Instructions

1. 1.

   Sift the flour onto a work surface and press a well in the middle. Add the lard in small pieces and 2 tsp salt. Gradually fold in the egg yolks with 110 ml cold water by hand, kneading until a smooth dough forms; if it becomes dry, add more cold water. Wrap in foil and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.

2. 2.

   For the filling peel the shallot and garlic. Dice the pork, mix with the shallot, garlic and fennel seeds, then grind through a meat grinder. Place the resulting mixture in the freezer for about 30 minutes to firm up.

3. 3.

   Take the mixture out of the freezer and blend finely in a blender, letting the cream flow in as a thin stream. Season the smooth pâté with salt and pepper, then chill for about 30 minutes.

4. 4.

   Butter eight muffin tins or small pâté molds. Preheat the oven to 210 °C (410 °F) fan‑heated. Roll out the dough on a floured surface and line the molds with about three‑quarters of the dough. Cut the remaining dough into circles that match the mold diameters.

5. 5.

   Fill the molds with the pork mixture, cover with the cut circles, and gently press the edges together. Poke a small hole in the center and bake at 160 °C (320 °F) for about 30 minutes.

6. 6.

   Meanwhile, prepare the relish: wash and chop the tomatoes; peel and dice the shallots; finely slice the cornichons. Heat olive oil in a saucepan and sauté the shallots until translucent. Add tomatoes, cornichons and mustard seeds, simmer on low heat for about 15 minutes. Puree with an immersion blender, season with salt and pepper.

7. 7.

   Serve the pâtés on a bed of relish, placing each pastry onto the relish.