Rieslingspaschteit ( Pâté au Riesling)

This excellent and delicious beef pie is regarded as a culinary gem by many Luxembourgers. Pâté au Riesling is a typical paste made from meat that is spread on bread and often eaten with pickles. Rieslingspaschteit, also known as Pâté au Riesling, is produced by encasing a coarse pig pâté or terrine in a Riesling-flavored aspic and baking it in pastry to make a log-shaped meat pie. In Luxembourg, Rieslingspaschteit is regarded as the queen of pies and a popular culinary tradition. As a result, you can find them in almost every bakery in the country. People normally serve the pie cold and cut, with a lovely glass of Riesling on the side.

Ingredients:

• 200g/7oz beef mince
• 500g/1lb 2oz pork mince
• 2 medium carrots, finely diced
  
• 1 medium onion, finely diced
• 1 bunch parsley, finely chopped
• 1 tsp dried marjoram
• ½ tsp flaked sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 3 tbsp brandy
• 1 medium egg, beaten, to glaze
• 300ml/½ pint Riesling wine
• 3 sheets of leaf gelatine

Ingredients for Pastry:

• 200g/7oz butter
• 600g/1lb 5oz plain flour, plus extra for dusting
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 medium egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 150ml/¼ pint water

Instruction:

• Mix the beef and pig mince with the carrots, onion, parsley, marjoram, salt, and freshly ground black pepper to make the filling. Cover and chill for 2–3 hours, or overnight, after stirring in the brandy.
• Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat and set it aside to cool for a few minutes to make the pastry.
• In a large mixing basin, combine the flour and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg and egg yolk with the water. Stir the eggs and water into the flour, then add the melted butter gradually and form it into a ball. Place this in a basin and set aside for 2 hours.
• Divide the pastry into 6 pieces and roll them out into rectangles about 18 x 20cm in size. Trim them carefully and save the trimmings for pastry chimneys. Make 6 sausages out of the mince mixture and place one in the center of each sheet of pastry. Lightly brush the edges with beaten egg.
• Fold up the pastry's two short sides, then bring the long sides up and over the filling to completely enclose and seal the meat inside. Place the parcel, with the edges below, on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. With the point of a sharp knife, carefully score the crust - don't go too deep or the pie will split as it bakes. Rep with the rest of the filling and pastry.
• Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas 4 and set aside.
• Make a small hole in the center of each parcel with the point of a knife and enlarge the hole with the tip of your little finger. Roll out the pastry scraps and cut them into 1.5cm wide strips. Roll these around your little finger, then insert a rolled piece into each hole to form a 'chimney' that rises about 1cm out of the dough. Bake for 45 minutes, brushing well with beaten egg. Allow cooling after removing from the oven.
• Place the gelatine sheets in a bowl of cold water for 5 minutes to soften before squeezing off the excess water over the sink. Meanwhile, slowly heat the wine until it is just warm enough to melt the gelatine, then add the squeezed gelatine sheets and whisk until dissolved. Place the mixture in a jug and set it aside to cool.
• Pour the wine into the pie using a little plastic funnel placed in one of the pastry chimneys. Take it carefully and let the wine permeate the pie for a few seconds before adding more. Stop when the wine has made its way halfway up the chimney. Repeat with the remaining pies.
• Place in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours to set.