Pate de Foies Gras

Goose liver and trimmings baked and served in a Madeira reduction with truffles.

Select a good-sized goose's fat liver and remove the gall with care, put the liver into a pan of boiling water to set, taking care that it does not boil, then take it out and let it cool. Put two tablespoonfuls of finely-chopped onions into a sautepan with a little rasped bacon and fry, but without allowing it to color. Cut the liver into large squares, put it into the pan with the onions and add eight ounces of raw truffles cut up into smaller squares or dice; sprinkle over a little salt and add a few spices to season. Place the pan over the fire for eight minutes or so, tossing it now and then, then take it from the fire and let the contents cool. Chop fine half a pound each of lean veal and fat bacon, mix in with them two or three tablespoonfuls of breadcrumbs soaked in milk and squeezed thoroughly dry, mince it up a little more and season with salt and pepper. Place this mince in a basin, add some trimmings of truffles and the fat liver also chopped very fine, and half a pound of lean ham cut into small dice or squares. Butter a hot pie mould, place it on buttered paper on a baking sheet, line it with short paste, put a layer of the mince at the bottom and sides, then fill it with a round flat of paste, decorate it, leave a hole in the center, brush it over with egg and bake for an hour and a half in a moderate oven. As soon as the paste begins to color place a piece of buttered paper over it. When it is done remove the top of the pie, wipe off as much of fat as possible, mask the contents with brown sauce reduced with Madeira and trimmings of truffles, and serve very hot.