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Creole Pork Pâté- Pate
Prep Time
40 mins
Cook Time
30 mins
 

This crispy and crunchy oven baked Creole Pork Pâté-Pate- made with a pastry filled with minced pork flavoured with onion, tomato, garlic and ginger and herbs is a typical Seychellois pâté and is favourite of mine.

Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: Creole
Servings: 35 units
Ingredients
Ingredients for Pastry
  • 500 g plain flour or all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 100 g cubed cold butter,or margarine or even lard.
  • 240 ml very cold water plus 2 tbsp
Ingredients for filling 
  • 350 g minced pork
  • 3 cloves garlic,crushed
  • 1 tsp ground ginger
  • 1 medium size onions, diced
  • ½ tbsp fresh thyme -chopped finely
  • 1 tbsp tomato sauce
  • 1 tbsp oil
  • 1 sprig parsley,chopped
  • 1 tsp corn flour
  • 25 ml water (for thickening with cornflour)
  • Chilli to taste (optional)
  • 75 g green onions ( finely sliced, white and green parts)
  • 75 ml water
  • Salt and pepper  to taste
For Assembly
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tbsp water
  • 50 ml water (for sealing)
Instructions
Preparation of the pastry 
The pastry we are using is a type of shortcrust pastry and there are two methods you could use to prepare it: the hand-made and food-processor methods.
Hand-Made Method

  1. Place the flour, butter, baking powder and salt into a large, clean bowl.

  2. Rub the butter or margarine into the flour with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs (or wet coarse sand), working as quickly as possible to prevent the dough becoming warm.

  3. Add the water to the mixture. Mix with your hands, until a ball of dough forms with the texture of slightly dry play dough. Add more cold water a teaspoon at a time if the mixture is too dry.

  4. Bring the pastry together with your hands and transfer to a lightly floured, cool bench top. Lightly knead the pastry with your fingertips for about 30 seconds or until smooth and soft.

  5. Roll it into a ball and wrap it in plastic wrap or clingfilm and chill for a minimum of 30 minutes.

Food-Processor Method
If you have a food processor, it can speed up the pastry making. I prefer to use a processor as the pulse avoids the over handling of the mixture which can result in hard, dry pastry—a common fault. 

  1. Place the flour, butter, baking powder and salt into the bowl of the processor.

  2. Using only the pulse setting, pulse until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Avoid over mixing if you can.

  3. Through the funnel on the top of the processor, slowly add the water a little at a time until the mixture comes together in a ball.

  4.  Bring the pastry together with your hands and transfer to a lightly floured, cool bench top. Lightly knead the pastry with your fingertips for about 30 seconds or until smooth and soft.

  5. Wrap the pastry in plastic wrap or cling film and chill as above in the hand-made method.

Preparation of the filling

  1. Heat oven to about 180°C

  2. Season the mince with salt and cracked pepper and mix with the chopped parsley and thyme

  3. Place oil in a hot pan and sweat onion, then add garlic and stir.

  4. Add minced pork, breaking up any clumps (note 3), and cook on medium heat for about 5 minutes, add tomato sauce.

  5. Add the water, stir and cook for another 10 minutes and until most of the liquid has evaporated.

  6. Mix corn flour with the 25 ml water and stir in the cooked mince, cook for another 3 minutes. This will thicken the remaining sauce and bind the meat together. The goal is to keep the water/ sauce and oil combination to a minimum so that it does not make the pâté soggy.

  7. Fold in green onions, season and remove from heat and allow cooling completely. Keep.

Assembly of Pâté

  1. Make egg wash by whisking together the egg and the 1 tablespoon water. Set aside

  2. Flour a cool work surface and rolling pin, remove dough from wrapping, place on a cool lightly floured surface and roll out thinly.

  3. Use a cookie cutter or a large rimmed glass or even a cup and cut small circular portions, approx 10-11 cm in diameter.

  4. Place one tablespoonful of filling on one side of the circular dough

  5. Dip a finger into the water and moisten the edges of the pastry.

  6. Fold one side over to give you a half-moon and press the sides with a fork to crimp or seal the edges. Cut off any extra to make it look neat and uniform.

  7. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet and continue work until you have rolled all the dough and filled the pâtés.

  8. Brush the top of the pâtés with egg wash and cook in oven at 180°C for about 25 minutes or until golden brown.

  9. Remove from oven, allow to cool on a wire rack and serve

Recipe Notes
  1. Lard was traditionally used in Seychelles until margarine became more affordable.
  2. For best result, make sure the butter or margarine is cold, and that your hands are cool and use a cool work surface.
  3. You can be creative here and make the filling of your choice.
  4. It is critical that all clumps formed by the mince meat are broken up, because clumps create empty spaces in your pâté which reduces the amount of filling that you can place in the pâté.
  5. To create an edge using a fork, simply press down on the edge, using the tines of a fork to both seal the dough together and leave a decorative pattern around the edges.
  6. To create a rope-like crimp when closing up the pâtés, pinch the pie crust gently between your thumb and index finger, doing so at an angle and gently pulling up the outer edge of the dough with each pinch. The effect should look like the edges of a rope running all the way around the crust.
  7. The pâté can also be fried
  8. You can also freeze the pâté. Place them in single layer and freeze and then transfer to a storage container.