Les Rillettes de Thon au Fromage Frais
Les Rillettes de Thon au Fromage Frais·(lay ree-yet duh tohn oh fro-majh fray)
L'Apéro Dînatoire: The Casual Friday Gathering
This isn't a three-day duck confit project or a fussy, geometry-obsessed charcuterie board. At six p.m. on a Friday, you'll find a wooden board, a warm baguette, a cheap bottle of Muscadet, and a bowl of this thick, briny spread. It is what we eat on Tuesdays when the pantry is mostly bare. Squeeze every single drop of oil out of a pop-top can of tuna, step away from the food processor, and mash it fiercely by hand.
Before you start
Soften the cream cheese.
Pull the cream cheese out of the refrigerator about an hour before you plan to mix the rillettes so it mashes easily.
Ingredients
- canned chunk light or albacore tuna in water5 oz
- cream cheese4 oz
- shallot1 small
- fresh lemon juice1 tbsp
- fresh chives1 tbsp
- Piment d'Espelette or sweet paprika1/4 tsp
- Dijon mustard1 tsp
- sea salt1/8 tsp
- black pepper1/4 tsp
Method
- 01
Squeeze the tuna completely dry.
Dump the tuna into a fine-mesh strainer and press down fiercely with the back of a spoon, or squeeze it with clean hands. You want it as dry as sawdust; lingering water will ruin the emulsion and give you a sloppy paste.
- 02
Mash the ingredients by hand.
Place the dried tuna in a bowl with the softened cream cheese, minced shallot, lemon juice, chives, Piment d'Espelette, and mustard. Take a sturdy fork and aggressively mash the mixture against the sides of the bowl until it forms a cohesive but slightly chunky paste. Keep away from the food processor, which will liquefy the mix and ruin the rustic, shredded texture you are looking for.
- 03
Season the rillettes.
Taste the mixture, keeping in mind the cheese and tuna are already carrying plenty of salt. Add a small pinch of sea salt if needed, a heavy crank of black pepper, and perhaps another squeeze of lemon juice if it feels too heavy.
- 04
Refrigerate and let the flavors meld.
Smooth the top with a spoon and press plastic wrap directly against the surface. Let it rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to firm up the dairy fat and allow the harshness of the raw shallot to mellow.
- 05
Garnish and serve.
Pull the bowl from the fridge ten minutes before eating to take the edge off the chill. Garnish with extra chives and serve alongside toasted baguette slices or crunchy radishes.
Notes
Mind the dairy substitution.
In France, this is made with St Môret, a slightly salty, whipped fresh cheese. Standard block or whipped Philadelphia cream cheese is the closest and most reliable American supermarket substitute.
Do not use oil-packed tuna.
Oil-packed tuna will introduce too much fat into the mix, breaking the emulsion and leaving you with a greasy spread rather than a light, whipped texture.
From Cook French in America.