The city of Chicago may be banning foie gras, but you can still make your own pate at home.
For this recipe, you will need one pound of your favorite game meat (rabbit, partridge, pheasant, or duck), thyme, salt, pepper, allspice, minced green onions, apple juice, one onion, butter, 3/4 pound of lean ground pork, 3/4 pound of ground veal, eggs, crushed garlic, one pound of bacon, and a bay leaf.
To prep for this recipe, you will need to cut the game meat into 1/4 strips. Finely mince enough green onions to make 1 tablespoon and enough onion to make 1/2 cup.
Make the marinade for the game by combining 1/8 teaspoon of thyme, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, 1/4 teaspoon of pepper, 1/8 teaspoon of allspice, 1 tablespoon of minced green onions, and 1/2 cup of apple juice. Let the game strips marinate while you prepare the stuffing.
For the stuffing, place 2 tablespoons of butter in a skillet over medium heat and let 1/2 cup of minced onions cook until tender. Pour those in a large bowl. Add 1/2 cup of apple juice to the skillet and bring to a boil. Let it boil until it is reduced by half then scrap the bottom of the skillet to remove drippings. Pour that into the bowl with the onions. Add 3/4 pound of ground pork, 3/4 pound of ground veal, two beaten eggs, 1 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1/8 teaspoon of pepper, 1/4 teaspoon of allspice, 1/2 teaspoon of thyme, and one clove of crushed garlic. Stir with a wooden spoon until well mixed.
Blanch the pound of bacon by placing it in a saucepan of boiling water then remove immediately and let drain. Put all but a few strips of the bacon on the bottom of a loaf pan. Drain the marinade off the game strips. Add the marinade to the stuffing mixture and mix well. Divide the stuffing into three parts. After dipping your hands in cold water, arrange one third on top of the bacon in the loaf pan. Then place half of the game strips on top. Add another third of the stuffing to the loaf pan then the rest of the game strips. Add the final layer of stuffing. Place a bay leaf on top and cover the stuffing with the remaining bacon.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cover the loaf pan with aluminum foil and place it in a pan of boiling water. Place both the pan with water and the loaf pan in the oven and let it cook for 1 1/2 hours. Remove the bottom pan with water and place another loaf pan on top of the pate loaf pan. Let it cool at room temperature or overnight in the refrigerator. Serve with crackers.