100g veal shoulder
400g minced veal
1 shallot
1 garlic clove
1 tsp thyme
4 tbsp parsley, chopped
a good pinch of nutmeg
1 tsp salt
80ml Elbling white wine
1 tbsp brandy
1 egg
a pinch of pepper
For the puff pastry:
250g butter, cold
250g flour
1 tsp salt
150g cream cheese
1 egg, for brushing
For the jelly:
1 sachet instant meat jelly powder (Sülze)
125ml Elbling white wine
125ml water
Makes 4 little patés – Prep: 45min – Overnight marinating – Oven: 35min
Make the filling a day ahead: Cut the veal into small cubes and put in a bowl with the mince. Peel and finely chop the shallot, peel and crush the garlic. Add to the bowl with the thyme, parsley, nutmeg, salt, pepper, wine and brandy. Mix with your hands until everything is evenly combined.
Cover and refrigerate overnight.
For the puff pastry, cut the butter into cubes and put into a food processor with the flour, salt and cream cheese. Blitz until a dough ball forms. Shape
the pastry into 2 discs, wrap in cling film and chill in the frige overnight.
The next day, take the marinated meat out of the fridge, add one egg and mix with a spoon until evenly combined.
Roll out one pastry disc on a well-floured surface to a rectangle of approx. 30 x 40 cm, then cut crosswise into 4 rectangles. Put the pastries onto a baking tray lined with baking paper. Put a heap of meat onto each pastry piece and shape into a log. Fold over the long pastry sides. Beat the egg in a little bowl and brush the short pastry sides with the egg, then fold over – you will still see the meat, as the pastry won’t cover the top.
Roll out the second puff pastry to a rectangle of approx. 30 x 40 cm, then cut into 4 rectangles. Score a criss-cross pattern into each rectangle, then cut out a round hole from the middle of each.
Brush the pastry rim around the exposed meat with beaten egg, then put a pastry rectangle on top of each meat pastry, tucking in the excess pastry below. Brush the pastries with the beaten egg.
Refrigerate the pastries for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 220°C top/bottom heat.
After 30 minutes, bake the pastries in the preheated oven for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to 200°C top/bottom heat and bake for a further 25 minutes. There will be some liquid leaking out of the holes.
While the pastries are in the oven, prepare the white wine jelly. Pour the instant meat jelly powder into a saucepan and add the wine and 125ml of boiling water. Bring to the boil and stir until the jelly powder has completely dissolved. Pour the liquid into a deep plate and leave to cool completely. Once cool, refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
When the pastries come out of the oven, lift them onto a wire rack and leave to cool completely.
When ready to serve, stir the jelly vigorously with a fork to break it up. Cut the pâté into slices and serve with spoonfuls of jelly.
These will keep in the fridge for 3 days. The pâtés also freeze well wrapped in foil. Defrost them at room temperature and put in the fridge for 2 hours before serving.
