Recipe for Calum Franklin's rabbit and bacon paté en croute

Calum Franklin, executive chef of the Holborn Dining Room at the Rosewood hotel in Holborn, London, specialises in British cooking and is passionate about using the best produce the country has to offer.

 

For approximately 12 servings

 

Ingredients

 

Pastry
470g strong flour
20g milk powder
22g salt
165g unsalted butter (cold, diced small)
2 whole eggs
150ml whole milk
10ml cider vinegar
3 egg yolks mixed with 4 tbsp water for glazing
20ml vegetable oil

 

Farce:
2 whole rabbits + offal (Franklin uses farmed)
325g smoked back bacon for mince (including fat)
150g clean diced back bacon (2cm dice)
½ bunch tarragon
15g white mustard seed
15g table salt
10g pink salt
100g chopped peeled pistachio
Fresh ground white pepper

 

Jelly:
Rabbit bones
3 donkey carrots
2 onions
2 leeks
½ celery
1 head garlic
5g thyme
500ml white wine
250ml madeira
300ml veal stock
8 leaves bloomed gelatine

 

Preparation method

 

Pastry:
1. Sift flour and milk powder and add to stand mixer with salt

 

2. Add the butter and mix until a crumble texture has been reached

 

3. Beat whole eggs with milk and vinegar and add to mixer

 

4. Combine briefly until dough is formed (do not overwork)

 

5. Vac pac dough and flatten out and seal, then chill for at least two hours before use and no longer than one day

 

Farce
1. Trim offal out of rabbits and set aside. Remove shoulders, legs, belly and pencil fillets. Bone and add to offal

 

2. Chop all carcasses and bones for the jelly

 

3. Remove loins and trim off silverskin

 

4. Cut into 2cm dice and add to diced bacon and set aside

 

5. Put the bacon and fat for mince and boned rabbit through the mincer on the large grinding plate

 

6. Add all other ingredients (including dice) to mince in a mixing bowl and combine well

 

7. Weigh mix into 1.5kg portions

 

Rabbit, bacon and pistachio en croûte jelly
1. Put rabbit bones in combination broiler at 180°C for 20 mins

 

2. Roast carrots, then onions, then celery, garlic, then add white wine, madeira and thyme, leeks and reduce by half

 

3. Add rabbit bones, veal stock and cold water to cover, bring up to simmer and skim

 

4. Slowly simmer for three hours, skimming constantly, and then pass off and reduce down to 750ml, add gelatine

 

Final preparation:
1. Roll pastry out to 1cm thickness

 

2. Line a 30cm terrine and chill for 20 minutes

 

3. When ready, add farce to terrine and lay over a lid and seal edges

 

4. Cook at 180°C until 60°C inside, then rest and chill overnight

 

5. Next day add jelly and set