There's something rather impressive about a homemade terrine or pâté - and they can be surprisingly easy, and cheap, to make. For some reason, they lie just outside the repertoire of a lot of professional cooks these days and very few young chefs have really taken the time to learn the even the basics skills of classic charcuterie.
That’s a real shame as charcuterie is the wonderful art of making pâté, terrines, Rillettes, galantines, sausages and other cured, smoked and preserved meats and we need to get back to those basic skills every now and then. When I first started on my journey to becoming a chef, professional kitchens were divided into sections and the “saucier” was always considered the glamour job, but I was always drawn to the “Garde manger”, occasionally mislabelled as the cold section or the salad station. In reality, this can be the most exciting and skill testing of all the stations in a kitchen. I mean you may not get to prepare all those fancy sauces and cook tenderloins and lamb racks, but let’s be honest, any cook worth his salt should be able to take a piece of tender meat, season and cook it properly. In the unfashionable world of the “garde Manger”, you had to take few very unglamorous cuts of fatty meat and a couple of kilos of chicken’s livers and turn them into something special…now that takes real skill and dedication.
A “simple charcuterie” board celebrates good food, beautiful presentation, and easy preparation. It brings people together through a spread that’s as visually appealing as it is delicious, and best of all—it doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive. One of my favourites is Pâté de Campagne, it’s a rustic dish that captures the essence of traditional French charcuterie. Unlike smooth liver pâtés, this version is coarsely textured and hearty, made from a blend of ground pork, liver, and aromatic herbs. The mixture is seasoned with garlic, thyme, and a splash of brandy, then baked slowly in a terrine lined with bacon until rich and flavourful. Once cooled and pressed, it slices beautifully and is best served chilled or at room temperature.
Simple yet elegant, pâté de campagne pairs perfectly with crusty bread, tangy cornichons, and Dijon mustard. It embodies the French countryside spirit—humble ingredients transformed into something refined. Ideal for picnics, appetizers, or charcuterie boards, this pâté offers a satisfying depth of flavour and texture, proving that true culinary pleasure often comes from rustic, time-honoured simplicity.
It's true that some terrines or pâté such as Pate de campagne can be a bit too time-consuming and technical for the home cook. But If you want to whip up a simple, classic parfait de foies de volaille, you basically only have to devote yourself to a bit of butter-clarifying, brandy-flambeeing and chicken-liver-sieving or blending and its job done!
SMOOTH CHICKEN LIVER PARFAIT
WITH ONION-APRICOT CHUTNEY
Ingredients serves 6-8
350g unsalted butter
500g chicken livers, trimmed and soaked in cold milk for at least 2 hours
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
2 tbsp brandy
4 tbsp cream
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Garnish
80g clarified butter*
A few fresh sage leaves
To make your clarified butter, heat the butter in a pan over a very low heat. Cook very slowly for 15-20 minutes until completely separated. Skim the clear butter off the top place in a bowl. Set aside about 80 grams to cover.
Drain the chicken livers and pat dry with a clean kitchen cloth.
Heat a little of clarified butter over a gentle flame and add the chopped onion, garlic & thyme. Cook for 1-2 minutes to soften and then add the chicken livers. Cook the liver gently for 3-4 minutes and add the brandy to the pan. Flambé the brandy and add the cream.
Place in a food processor and blend until smooth with the rest of the warm, melted clarified butter. Season well with sea salt & freshly ground pepper. Pass through a fine sieve and pour the mixture into individual ramekin or bowls. Cover each one with a little clarified butter, a couple of sage leaves and a pinch of sea salt. Place in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours to set. Serve with chutney and toasted chunky bread.
*Clarified butter is a form of “clean” butter where certain solids are removed and only the pure butterfat remains. Unsalted butter is slowly melted, allowing the milk solids to separate from the transparent golden liquid and for any water to evaporate. Milk solids also cause the butter to spoil or become rancid so clarifying the butter ensures that when you use it to cook certain things they will have a longer shelf life.
Onion & apricot chutney
2 large onions, finely sliced
12 dried apricots, chopped
200ml orange juice
2tbsp sherry vinegar
2tbsp brown sugar
Seasoning
A knob of butter
Heat the butter in a saucepan over a gentle flame. Add the sliced onions, chopped apricots, orange juice, sugar and sherry vinegar. Cover with a lid and cook over a gentle heat for 20 minutes. Remove the lid and continue to cook until all the liquid has been absorbed. Season to taste. Place in a jar and cool for at least 4 hours.
PÂTÉ DE CAMPAGNE
Ingredients Serves:
8–10
Meat mixture:
550g ground pork shoulder (20–25% fat ideal)
250g pork liver (or chicken liver), cleaned and trimmed
4 tbsp brandy, Cognac, or Armagnac
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves (or 1 tsp dried)
1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
½ tsp ground allspice (optional but traditional)
2 sprigs of thyme, leaves only, chopped
1½ tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper
1 large egg, lightly beaten
60ml double cream
8-10 slices bacon or thinly sliced pancetta to line the terrine
Bay leaves and peppercorns (for decoration, optional)
Prepare the liver mixture:
Roughly chop the pork (or chicken) liver and pulse it in a food processor until
smooth but not liquid. Transfer to a large bowl. Add the minced meat and stir
in onion, garlic, herbs, spices, salt, pepper, and brandy. Mix well to combine.
Add the egg and cream and stir until the mixture is uniform but not
overmixed—it should have some texture. Season well with salt and pepper. Mix
well, cover and refrigerate overnight, removing from the fridge an hour before
going on to step two.
Preheat oven to 325°F (160°C).
Line a 9x5-inch loaf pan or terrine Mold with the bacon slices, letting them
overlap and hang over the edges slightly. Spoon the meat mixture into the
terrine, pressing gently to eliminate air pockets. Fold the overhanging bacon
over the top to seal. Decorate with bay leaves and peppercorns if desired and cover
tightly with foil or greaseproof paper
Place the terrine in a larger roasting pan. Pour hot water into the outer pan
until it comes halfway up the sides of the terrine. Bake for 1½ hours, or until
the internal temperature reaches 155°F (68°C).
Remove from the oven and place a piece of foil on top of the pâté. Weigh it
down with cans or a small cutting board to compress it slightly. Cool to room
temperature, then refrigerate overnight.
To Serve:
Unmould carefully, and slice thickly. Serve cold with cornichons, chutney,
crusty bread, and a glass of red wine.
SIMPLE DUCK RILLETTE
You can buy duck confit already cooked, although they are very simple to prepare.
Spread a little rock salt in the bottom of the dish and place the duck legs on top in a single layer. Place a couple of garlic cloves and a few sprigs of fresh thyme around them. Sprinkle a good amount of rock salt on top. Cover and place in the refrigerator overnight. In the morning, remove the duck legs from the salt, wash them lightly in cold water and dry them. Preheat the oven to 140˚C/275˚F/Gas Mark 1. Put the legs with garlic and herbs into a heavy dish, add duck fat, cover with a lid and cook for 3 hours until the meat comes easily away from the bone. Do not brown; add a little water if necessary.
Ingredients serves 6
4 confit duck legs, skinned
1 garlic clove, crushed
150g duck fat
1tbs chopped parsley
Tiny pinch of nutmeg
A splash of brandy
A couple of fresh thyme sprigs
Rock salt and freshly ground black pepper
Strip the meat from the bones into the bowl of a food processor.
Melt the duck fat and add about 100g to moisten the meat. Add the, garlic, parsley & nutmeg. Season with sea salt & black pepper.
Pulse the meat several times to combine all the ingredients, taking care not to overwork the mixture.
Divide the mixture between sterilised jars or ramekins, pressing it down to remove any pockets of air. Pick the leaves from the sprigs of thyme. Cover the surface of the rillette with the last of the melted fat and sprinkle over the thyme. Seal the jars tightly. Store in the fridge and eat within one week. Serve with peach & saffron chutney and toasted bread.
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