[Sca-cooks] pate

[Ted Eisenstein]

>Balthazar of Blackmoor (jokingly, I hope) said:
>> I'm going to start calling meatloaf "Country Style
>> Beef Pate",
>
>Would this really apply though? I thought pates were always very
>finely ground, a paste. Whereas the meatloaf I've had was coarser,
>like crumbled hamburger although smushed together. Also meatloaf
>has something in it like bread crumbs, right? Does pate?
I've had, and thoroughly enjoyed, "pate de compagne" ("pate of
the countryside"), which was somewhat more coarsely ground than the
typical pate de foie gras that we have mental images of as the
protypical pate. It's not always as coarsely ground as meatloaf, but
can be; think of anything from fine-ground bologna-stuff all the
way through, oh, large grained salami, to not-quite-head-cheese. I
presume it depends on how much work you'd want to put into
grinding, how much time you had, the quality of the materials
available, and personal taste. And how fine a grinder you had. ("Oh
damn, I forgot to sharpen the blades again! I guess we'll have
to coarse-grind this stuff. <sigh>")

I haven't ever heard of any reputable pate with bread crumbs, although
I could be wrong. (I wouldn't be surprised if there are some, though;
you never know what large companies will do to fill out good stuff
with cheap filler. <grin>)

(Best pate I ever had was a home-made pate de compagne at one
Thanksgiving dinner. Absolutely heavenly, made from organ meats
which I usually detest, coarsely ground, well-spiced, and I wish I
had the recipe.)