Duck pâté baked in its own skin

Pat the duck dry and debone it, working one side at a time and separating the skin from the meat without piercing it.

Free the breasts, chop off the ball joint of the drumstick, pull the skin sleeves through and lift the carcass clear.

Cut the breast meat into long thin strips.

Season the strips with salt, pepper, thyme and allspice, add a quarter cup of cognac and refrigerate.

Strip the remaining leg and wing meat from the carcass and scrape what is on the skin, without damaging the skin.

Grind the leg and wing meat and the heart in a food processor with half a cup of onions sauteed in a tablespoon of butter.

Combine with a pound of ground pork, salt, pepper, thyme, allspice and the pureed garlic.

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Mix in two eggs by hand.

Saute a spoonful of the forcemeat to check the seasoning; it should seem over-salted and over-spiced, since the seasoning mutes when the pate is served cold.

Beat the liquid from the breast strips into the forcemeat.

Oil the loaf pan and line it with the duck skin, flesh side up, overlapping to patch the slash and the holes from the legs and wings.

Spread over a third of the filling, lay half the breast strips on it, then a double row of pistachios.

Cover with half the remaining filling, the rest of the breast strips, the liver, more pistachios and the rest of the filling.

Bang the dish on the table to flatten air pockets, lay the bay leaves on top and fold the skin over.

Cover with a sheet of buttered foil and a lid.

Bake in a bain-marie, the loaf pan set in a baking pan of boiling water, at 350F for one and a half to two hours, until the centre reaches 160F.

Cool about an hour, then weigh it down with a board and a five pound weight.

When cold, cover and refrigerate a day or two before serving.

Pour off the fat and juices, unmold, and brown briefly under the broiler without warming it through.

Serve cold, sliced, on a dark plate.