The days are getting shorter and Christmas is fast approaching. We're in dire need of a festive and warming recipe. To that end, we've concocted a fantastic duo with the Maximus wood-fired oven: Lorraine pâté and pumpkin velouté. As a Christmas Eve starter, you'll surprise your guests and be sure to delight them. Check out our video!

THE RECIPE IN VIDEO

INGREDIENTS

• For the Lorraine pâté for 4 people
• 500g of homemade puff pastry or purchased from a pastry chef
• 500g of meat stuffing purchased from the butcher (200g of veal shoulder, 200g of pork loin, 50g of pork belly, 50g of pork throat)
• 125g of Riesling white wine
• 10g of Cognac
• 1 small bunch of finely chopped parsley
• 8g of Guérande salt
• 3g of 5 berry mix
• 1 small onion (or a shallot according to your taste)
• 1 egg
• Ingredients for the pumpkin velouté for 4 people
• 1 pumpkin
• 200ml of whole cream
• 5g of salt
• 3g of 5 berry mix
• 1 small onion

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preparation of Lorraine pâté
2. Ideally, prepare the stuffing 48 hours in advance. Place the meat stuffing in a mixing bowl and add the salt, parsley, cognac, and white wine. Chef's tip: For more chewiness in your Lorraine pâté, ask your butcher to cut the veal shoulder into chunks rather than having it ground.
3. Slice the onion into very thin strips and add them to the meat mixture. Chef's tip: To avoid crying while chopping the onion, place it in the freezer a little before preparing your recipe.
4. Roughly chop the berries and add them to the mixture.
5. Mix with your fingers until smooth.
6. Cover with cling film and refrigerate for 48 hours to allow the flavors to fully develop. After 48 hours of resting, assemble the Lorraine pâté.
7. Place your block of puff pastry on the work surface and flour it.
8. Roll out the puff pastry into a rectangle about 30 x 35 cm and 3 mm thick. Chef's tip: Make sure your dough can always slide on the work surface. This is necessary to ensure a regular shape.
9. Cut two 15 x 35 cm strips. Chef's tip: Always work with fresh puff pastry to prevent it from shrinking.
10. Crack the egg into a ramekin and beat it with a fork. If it's fresh, add a small pinch of salt to liquefy it.
11. Brush one of the two strips of dough with brown paint.
12. Place the stuffing in a regular sausage shape in the middle of the strip of dough that you have just browned, leaving 3cm all around.
13. Brush the stuffing all over with egg wash to help it stay firm during cooking.
14. Place the top, that is, the other strip of dough, on top. Chef's tip: don't stick your fingers into the dough when placing the top. You risk creating indentations in which the egg wash will blacken during cooking.
15. Using a large ruler or a chopstick, seal the edges of the Lorraine pâté then cut the edges.
16. Move on to scalloping. Take the back of a knife and push the tip of the blade in slightly all the way around at intervals of about 1 cm.
17. Brush the Lorraine pâté with browned oil.
18. Draw the design on the Lorraine pâté. Using the tip of a knife, making sure not to cut through the dough, make cross-shaped scratches on the top of the pâté.
19. Pierce 3 chimneys to allow evaporation during cooking.
20. To perfect the look, form 3 small circles with small sausages of dough and place them on the chimneys.
21. Place the Lorraine pâté on a sheet of baking paper and refrigerate.
22. Preparation of the pumpkin velouté
23. Peel the pumpkin.
24. Cut it in half and remove the seeds and filaments.
25. Cut it into small pieces and put them in a saucepan with a little water.
26. Add the salt and the 5 berries
27. Cooking the two preparations
28. Light your Maximus wood-fired oven and let it heat up to 250°C.
29. Bake the pumpkin next to the fire and the Lorraine pâté a little further away to prevent it from burning.
30. Let the pumpkin cook for about 40 minutes, making sure the temperature doesn't drop too much. The oven should always be between 230 and 250°C.
31. After 40 minutes, remove the pumpkin from the oven.
32. Add the cream and blend. If the soup is too thick, add water until you get the desired texture.
33. The Lorraine pie has now been cooking for 50 minutes, it's time to take it out of the oven.
34. After setting up pretty plates with a slice of Lorraine pâté, a ramekin of velouté, and perhaps a little salad, serve to your guests without delay. All that's left is for us to wish you bon appétit and a wonderful holiday season!

To take your cooking experience to a new level, discover the essential accessories for your MAXIMUS and MAXIMUS PRIME wood-fired oven:

• MAXIMUS Accessories
• MAXIMUS PRIME Accessories