Charcuterie plate

Charcuterie is a French artform when done properly, and each region uses its geographic strengths and the ingredients that are readily available in that area. The pork rillette, head cheese and sausages are available from French delicatessens and specialist butchers.

• serves

  8-12

• prep

  15 minutes

• cook

  45 minutes

• difficulty

  Mid

Ingredients

• 200 g pork rillette
• 200 g fromage de tete (head cheese)
• 200 g duck liver and pepper pate in aspic
• 200 g duck liver and truffle pate
• 200 g chicken liver pate
• 1 black pudding, thinly sliced
• 200 g duck and Armanac terrine
• 1 Lyonnaise saucisson, thinly sliced
• 1 Morteaux saucisson, thinly sliced
• 24 small cornichons
• toasted sourdough and Dijon mustard, to serve

Duck rillettes

• 60 ml (¼ cup) olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves (2 unpeeled, 1 halved)
• 2 duck Maryland
• 100 ml white chicken stock
• 100 ml duck fat
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 sprig rosemary
• 1 sprig thyme
• 1 tbsp finely chopped parsley
• freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 tbsp thinly sliced chives

Shallot vinaigrette

• 1 large golden French shallot, finely sliced
• 1 tbsp good-quality red-wine vinegar
• 2 tbsp good quality extra virgin olive oil
• salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Chilling/freezing time: 1 hour

Wine pairing: Penfolds Bin 138 Shiraz Grenache Mataro, Barossa Valley

Penfolds Max’s Shiraz Cabernet, South Australia

Instructions

1. For the duck rillettes, place the olive oil and unpeeled garlic cloves in a small saucepan over low heat. Cook for 15 minutes or until the garlic is soft. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool. Once cool, remove the garlic, peel and mash in a small bowl until smooth.

2. Meanwhile, place the duck maryland, chicken stock, duck fat, bay leaf, rosemary, thyme and the halved garlic clove in a small saucepan and cover with a sheet of baking paper. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook for 45 minutes or until the meat is falling off the bone. Remove the duck from the pan, reserving 1 tablespoon of liquid for later. While the duck is still hot, use a fork to shred the meat, then place in a mixing bowl, discarding the bones and skin.

3. For the shallot vinaigrette, place all the ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until well combined.

4. To the duck, add the reserved cooking liquid, parsley and 1 tablespoon of the shallot vinaigrette. Season with pepper and combine well. Press into a small jar or container, cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or until ready to serve. The rillette will keep, covered and refrigerated for up to one week.

5. To assemble, place all the charcuterie and cornichons on a large serving board. Slice 8 fingers of the toasted bread, spread with Dijon, then top with a spoonful of the duck rillette. Sprinkle with chives and serve with extra toasted sourdough bread.

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Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.