FEC Cooking

Cretons is a pork pate.  They make it in Quebec, and I just love it.  Recipes vary, and I myself make it differently every time.  But my most recent cretons went like this.

• 4 packs of minced pork (about 1 kg)
• 1 pack of bacon (250 g), chopped fine
  
• 1 pack of good pork sausage (200 g), chopped fine
  
• 2 or 3 large onions, chopped fine
  
• 3 or 4 cloves of garlic, chopped fine
  
• 2 or 3 cups of milk
• salt, white pepper, cloves, allspice, nutmeg

1. In a big pot, fry the onions and garlic until soft and translucent.  You don't want to brown them.  We want to keep our cretons nice and white.
2. Add the meat.  Again, we do not need to brown the meat.  Our cretons is going to be a lovely fatty white.
3. When the meat is fried, add the milk, a little at a time.  Keep stirring, but don't mash it up too much.  Keep that meaty texture.
4. When a little milk is left, cover the pot and let it simmer for an hour and a half.  Check and stir a couple of times.
5. Spice to your taste.
6. My mix was a little too chunky, so I pulsed it in a food processor.  Vroom!  Vroom!  Vroom!  Like that.  Not too much.  Keep the meaty texture.
7. Spoon it into a bowl, and refrigerate it.
   

Cretons is traditionally a breakfast food.  Quebeckers put it on toast.  Marvelous!

It also makes a nice sandwich, or you can put it on crackers or bread.

Tip: If your cretons mix is too lean, you can add a little lard, butter, or shortening.

Hint: Cretons is great with mustard on toast, with fried eggs, and Guinness beer.  Breakfast of kings!