Chicken and Ham Pâté Pie

Ingredients

• 2400 gChicken
• 900 gHam
• 500 gShortcrust pastry
• 160 gButter
• 8 pcsEgg
• 60 mlMilk
• 150 gWhite bread
• 500 mlBroth
• 20 gFlour
• 100 mlWhite wine
• 30 mlLemon juice
• 30 gCapers
• 20 gSardelle
• 30 mlVegetable oil
• 15 gSalt
• 3 gPepper
• 2 gNutmeg
• 0.5 gCloves

Instructions

1. 1

   Preparation and cooking the chicken

   • Cut the chicken into large pieces (if bones are present: remove them).
   • Heat 30 ml cooking oil in a large pot, brown the chicken briefly, then cover with about 500 ml meat stock and simmer gently for 25–30 minutes until cooked. Remove, cool slightly and shred or cut into pieces; reserve the cooking liquid.
   • Skim fat from the cooking liquid and set aside (for the sauce).
2. 2

   Make the ham forcemeat

   • Finely chop the raw ham (or pulse briefly in a food processor).
   • Soak the white bread in 60–80 ml water or milk, then squeeze out excess liquid.
   • Whisk 4 eggs with 50 g butter and 60 ml milk and gently cook in a pan into a soft scrambled egg; cool.
   • Mix the chopped ham, squeezed bread, crumbled scrambled egg, nutmeg, ground cloves/pepper, 2 raw eggs and 120 g melted butter until you have a cohesive forcemeat. Season with salt and pepper.
3. 3

   Assemble and bake the pie

   • Roll out the pastry and line a pie dish with half of it.
   • Spread half the forcemeat on the base, add the shredded chicken, top with the remaining forcemeat and close with the pastry lid. Brush with egg yolk.
   • Bake in a preheated oven at 180 °C for 50–60 minutes until golden.
4. 4

   Caper‑anchovy sauce

   • Use some of the reserved cooking liquid fat, stir in 20 g flour and cook briefly to make a roux. Gradually add stock and 100 ml white wine and simmer until thickened.
   • Add lemon juice, nutmeg, capers and chopped anchovies and simmer shortly.
   • Temper 2 egg yolks with some hot sauce, then stir them into the sauce off the heat to thicken and obtain a silky texture.