Serves: 10-12
Making terrines is a pretty sraightforward process. It does however takes three days from start to finish: one day for marinating the meat, the second day is for cooking and finally the terrine is rested and pressed overnight. Infinitely nicer than shop-bought and cheaper if you are serving a few people. If you aren’t, you could slice the terrine and freeze the slices individually which means you can lift out a bit of terrine whenever you want. If you don’t have a mincer you can chop the meat in a food processor but be careful not to blend it to a paste. If anything, err on the chunky side. Or just ask your butcher to mince the pork belly and pie veal.
Ingredients
- 500g minced belly of pork
- 400g minced pie veal
- 300g prepared weight chicken livers (about 450g total weight)
- 60g fresh white breadcrumbs
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
- 1 teaspoon fine salt
- ¼ teaspoon white pepper
- 4 tablespoons dry vermouth or white wine
- 2 tablespoons brandy
- 2 teaspoons finely chopped thyme leaves
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped rosemary leaves
- 1 teaspoon juniper berries, crushed
- ¼ teaspoon ground mace
- 70g cubed pancetta
- 4 black garlic cloves, peeled and chopped (optional)
- 10-12 slices prosciutto or serrano ham
Method
- Mix the meat and offal together. If you have a mincer pass the meat and offal through to mix but you can use a food processor –just pulse gently to combine and chop rather than purée. Add all the remaining ingredients except the black garlic and prosciutto. Cover and leave to marinate overnight.
- The next day base-line a 2 litre loaf tin with non-stick baking parchment. Heat the oven to fan 150°c, mark 3. To make sure the seasoning is correct, take a tiny nugget of the meat mixture and cook in a frying pan with a teaspoon of oil for 4-5 minutes. Add extra salt and some ground black pepper if required. Carefully line the loaf tin with overlapping slices of the prosciutto, allowing the slices to hang over the edge of the tin slightly. Leave at least two slices to cover the top. Pile half the meat into the loaf tin and pack down well. Sprinkle over the black garlic cloves if using. Cover with the remaining meat and pack in tightly. Bring up the edges of the prosciutto and cover with the remaining slices. Cover the terrine tightly with a sheet of non-stick parchment and then cover with foil, tucking in the sides. Place the loaf tin in a deep roasting pan and pour in enough boiling water to come halfway up the side of the loaf tin.
- Cook in the oven for 1 hour 30-40 minutes or until a knife inserted into the centre of the terrine feels piping hot to the touch. Lift the loaf tin out of the water bath and leave the terrine to cool with the foil still covering the tin. Weigh the top down with something heavy- I put old fashioned weights in a similar sized loaf tin and place this on top of the terrine. Chill, weighted, overnight.
- The next day unmould the terrine and slice. Serve with bread, cornichons and salad leaves.