Rillette is a seasoned meat spread made from various meats or seafood, traditionally pork. It is a cheaper alternative to pate and can be made at home by cooking the meat with shortening and seasonings, compressing it, and refrigerating it for three days. Rillette is served chilled and spread on crackers or bread. It can be made with different meats or even vegetables for vegetarians.
Rillette is a seasoned meat traditionally made from pork, although a wide variety of other meats and seafood can be used. It is often called “pate of the poor”, as it has the creamy and smooth texture of the pate, but it is much less expensive. This spread is also used as an appetizer on things like crackers and bread as an appetizer. Some butcher shops and specialty delicatessens make rillette for sale, and it’s also possible to prepare this dish at home.
To make rillette, or rillette as it’s also known, cooks start by cubing a cut of meat, salting it, and adding it to a pot with some shortening and seasonings. Some cooks like to make rillette on the stovetop, while others prefer to bake it. Either way, the meat can cook for 4-6 hours, until it falls apart. In this stage, the meat is drained, shredded, spiced and compressed. Squeezing is usually accomplished by packing the meat in a copper bowl or small bowl and then weighting it.
Once the meat has compressed for several hours, it is covered in a thin layer of fat and refrigerated for three days. This resting period allows the flavors of the rillette to mix and develop more fully, enhancing the spiced taste of the dish and allowing the meat to soften a bit more. Once the meat has rested, it will keep for about 10 days in the refrigerator.
The rillette can be served directly from the dish in which it is seasoned, or it can be unmold and presented on a plate. In some regions of France, rillette is shaped into fanciful shapes like pyramids and garnished with charcuterie or vegetables to create a centerpiece. As a general rule, rillette is served chilled and spread lightly on crackers and bread. This meat paste is quite rich, so a little bit tends to go a long way.
Goose, duck, chicken and venison are all popular choices for rillette, along with the classic pork. Fish rillettes made from salmon, tuna, anchovies and other fish are also sometimes available, and the meat can be mixed with breadcrumbs and vegetable fillers to make the dish a little less intense. Vegetarians can make their own version of rillette with slow-cooked vegetables sautéed in olive oil and heavily spiced.
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