Pâté of goose or duck meat

Ingredients for 5 servings:

• 1 kg goose breast or legs or duck breast
• 100 g chestnuts, cooked, peeled
• 100 g apples (dried apples), distinctly sweet and sour
• 100 ml white wine, semi-dry
• 2 cl port wine
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 2 tsp mugwort, ground or 4 tsp dried buds
• 1 tbsp goose fat
• 2 eggs, size L

Instructions

Working time approx. 1 hour; Rest period approx. 1 day; Cooking/baking time approx. 2 hours; Total time approx. 1 day 3 hours

rather something for the winter time, but certainly not to be despised otherwise

If necessary, prepare the chestnuts – roast, peel, and let cool. Cut the chestnuts into approximately 5–10 mm cubes. Vacuum-packed ones are easier. Cut the dried apples into approximately 1 cm pieces. Set a few rings aside for topping. Add the chestnut cubes and dried apple pieces to the white wine and let them soak for 1 hour. Bone the goose breast/legs; boned duck breast can be used immediately. Put the meat, skin on, through the meat grinder – the skin and fat are important flavor carriers! Using your hands or a food processor, knead the spices, drained chestnuts and apple pieces, eggs, port wine, 1–2 tablespoons of the white wine, and the goose fat (be careful, never use goose fat mixed with pork fat!) into a smooth stuffing. Place the stuffing in a suitable dish, preferably with a lid, and press down with a tablespoon to remove any air bubbles. Finally, add the dried apple rings to the surface and press down lightly. Cover and place in the oven at 180°C (top/bottom heat) in a water bath for 1 hour, then cook in a water bath at 130°C for another hour. Remove from the oven and let cool, then refrigerate for at least 1 day. The mixture will shrink slightly, making it easy to remove from the dish afterwards—if you want to and the dish isn’t particularly decorative. Otherwise, you can, of course, serve it in the dish. Tip: Serve with light or dark onion confit, a little salad to taste, and rustic root bread or something similar. A full-bodied red wine, dry to medium-dry to taste, is fine—but I could also imagine an ice-cold Sauterne. Ultimately, anything goes—it’s a matter of taste.