Philippe’s paté

1 lb ground veal (or veal + pork + beef)
1/2 lb chicken liver
1 cup of duck fat, to your taste (less means a dryer paté)
One cup of dried wild mushrooms (porcini, boletus, girolles, morels)
Pork caul
1 egg
1 small shooter glass of Cognac or Brandy
1 to 2 tsp salt

Spices to taste :
I use pepper (lots of it), dried ginger (about ½ tsp), cinnamon (½ tsp), ground cloves (½ tsp), nutmeg (¼ tsp).
One or two laurel leaves

Let the mushroom soak in hot water or chicken broth for 10 minutes (or more). When done, dry them on Scott towel.
Remove the fat and hard parts, and mince the chicken livers.
Mix the meat thoroughly with the duck fat, salt, spices, cognac and egg (do not use a blender!).
Spices and salt make all the difference in the world. Do not hesitate to salt! Two teaspoons of salt for almost two pounds of meat is not a lot, don't worry.
Add the chicken liver, then mix a bit more. Leave the mixture to rest a bit. Take a break.

Dress the walls of a terrine with the pork caul.
Set a leaf of laurel (break it slightly between your fingers without detaching the parts) on the bottom of the terrine then pour the mixture in the terrine.
Set another leaf or laurel on top of the paté.
Close the pork caul on top of the paté, trim the excess and place the lid (make sure there is a little space between the lid and the meat and that the holes in the top of the lid are free). The caul will shrink a bit and the terrine will buldge.

Put the terrine in a pan filled with water (the water must come about 3/4 of an inch below the top of the terrine).
Cook for 35 minutes to 45 minutes in the oven at 350°F (to test make a deep cut with a knife: no blood should pour from the slit when you put pressure on the paté).

Let stand for at least one hour before putting in the fridge for a day (put a weight on the paté if you have one).