Simply Delicious Personal Chef Service

Mary,
>
> Can you recommend a substitute spice for crushed bay leaf? I'm making
> pork liver pate using Louis Diat's recipe from the 1940's. He calls for
> 1/2 teaspoon of crushed bay leaf for 3.5 lbs of meat. I can't find
> crushed bay leaf, so I crush my own, but not very well. I was thinking
> of using ground sage or Bell's poultry seasoning (if I have some).
> Other flavorings in the recipe are salt, pepper, parsley and "Parisian
> spice." I don't know what Diat means by that last one, but I use fines
> herbs. Any thoughts?

First the crushed bay leaf. Have you tried using a morter and pestle to crush the bay leaf? If you don't have one, you can place the bay leaf in a coffee cup and try crushing it with a wooden spoon or the handle end of a mallet.

An alternative is to substitute an equal amount of thyme. According to RecipeZaar.com, 1/4 tsp crushed bay leaf = 1 whole bay leaf = 1/4 tsp thyme.

To answer your other question, Parisian Spice is also called Pate Spice. It is a mixture of different herbs and spices used in making pate. Here is a recipe for that spice from BigOven.com:

1 Tbl Crushed bay leaf
1 Tbl Dried thyme
1 Tbl Powdered mace
1 Tbl Dried rosemary
1 Tbl Dried rosemary
1 Tbl Dried basil
2 Tbl Cinnamon
1-1/2 tsp Ground cloves
1/2 tsp Ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp Ground allspice
1 tsp Ground white pepper
2 tsp Spanish paprika
1 C Salt

Mix all ingredients well in a spice mortar, or crush them together in a deep bowl with the bottom of a cup. Sift through a fine sieve 2 or 3 times, crush again, and sift until everything goes through. Keep in a tightly covered jar.

I find it interesting that your recipe calls for both crushed bay leaf and Parisian Spice, which also has bay leaf in it. Perhaps you should use the spice mixture first, adding the extra crushed bay leaf later if you feel it needs more of that flavor.

Good luck and let me know how it works out!