Country-Style Pork Pâté

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One of my first experiences with French food was a slice of pâté my parents brought home from a dinner party. Always ready to try anything that smacked of elegance or extravagance and having had several positive experiences with dinner party leftovers, I eagerly took a bite, awaiting new heights of flavor. But, alas, the pâté, which looked so glorious in its golden crust, tasted like meat loaf. And while I’ve always enjoyed meat loaf, I was left wondering what all the fuss was about. Later in life, when slices of pâté appeared, along with the obligatory wedges of Brie, at every cocktail party, I began to appreciate pâté as a filling snack, but little else. Revelation didn’t come until I worked in a restaurant in Paris where we made thrush pâté. Large wicker baskets of thrushes would arrive in the early morning, and it was my job to pluck them and scrape the meat from their little bones. A day’s work would yield about a quart of meat, which was turned into a pâté. The pâté still stands out as one of the most delicious things I’ve ever tasted. Fortunately for thrushes, such extravagant use of innocent little birds is no longer permitted; fortunately for lovers of good food, there are other ways to make great pâté.