Terrine : Two Ways

Terrine is a form of what is known as forcemeat.  French charcuterie sellers proudly display their forcemeat delights in their windows for the customers to purchase.  You will find alongside terrine, sausage, pate, roulades and rillettes to name a few.  A common theme is to use game meat and birds, like rabbit, wild boar and duck.  Also included would be chicken livers and the infamous foie gras, which is specially fattened duck or goose liver.  
The meat that goes into terrine is ground to a coarse minced consistency and combined together with herbs and spices to create a formed shape - usually a rectangular loaf.  Similar to meatloaf, terrine is baked in the oven slowly to amalgamate the meats and "force" them into one, the end result is a delicate charcuterie item lightly spiced with different notes of flavour deriving from its various ingredients.


To make a terrine, a reliable non-stick loaf pan is necessary, unless you are lucky enough to have a terrine mould.  The pan or mould is lined with thin bacon or prosciutto strips that will protect the base from burning and it will impart additional flavour too.  Terrine is best served cold or at room temperature.  I served it for breakfast with a poached egg on crusty bread with a couple of nicely matched sides of sauteed mushroom and a home-made Chilli Pepper Relish.  I made two types of terrine as certain breakfast diners don't take too favourably to being dished up liver of any sort - Find the recipes for both below.  These recipes have been adapted from celebrity Aussie chef Anna Gare's versions with a twist of my own flair.


Veal Pork and Chicken Terrine with Livers
Ingredients
250g x Chicken Mince
250g x Veal Mince
250g x Pork Mince
250g x Chicken Livers
1tbsp x Butter
1 x Onion, finely diced

6 cloves Garlic, finely diced

1/2 cup x Port Wine 

1tbsp x Green Peppercorns
2tbsp x Capers, rinsed and chopped
1/2 cup x Breadcrumbs
1/2 x Shelled Pistachios 
4 x Sage Leaves, finely sliced
1 x Lemon zest
2 x Eggs, lightly beaten
150g x Baby Spinach, roughly chopped
250g x thinly sliced Bacon or Proscuitto


Directions:
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celcius
In a frypan heat the butter and gently saute the onions and garlic.
Add the liver to the pan with the port wine and saute for 1 minute stirring gently
Place liver in a large bowl allow to cool slightly
Line a terrine mould or loaf pan with the bacon or proscuitto draping the slices over the sides so that they can cover the top of the filed terrine
Combine remaining ingredients with the liver.  Do not work the mix too much as you want the mince to remain coarse
Place the mixture into the terrine mould and tap to ensure there are no air pockets
Fold overhanging proscuitto slices over the top and cover with a piece of foil or baking paper
Place terrine into a baking dish half filled with water
Bake in the oven for 1 hour until firm and set
Allow to cool before placing into the fridge to chill overnight

Chicken & Pork Terrine with Dates 

Ingredients:

500g x Chicken Mince

500g x Pork Mince

150g x Pitted Dates, chopped 

1 x Onion, finely diced

6 cloves Garlic, finely diced

1/2 cup x Port Wine 

1tbsp x Green Peppercorns

2tbsp x Capers, rinsed and chopped

1/2 cup x Breadcrumbs

4 x Sage Leaves, finely sliced

1 x Lemon zest

2 x Eggs, lightly beaten

150g x Baby Spinach, roughly chopped

Extra Baby Spinach to line & cover

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celcius

In a frypan heat the butter and gently saute the onions and garlic.

Add the dates to the pan with the port wine and saute for 2 minutes stirring gently

Place dates in a large bowl allow to cool slightly

Line a terrine mould or loaf pan with the baby spinach leaves

Combine remaining ingredients with the liver.  Do not work the mix too much as you want the mince to remain coarse

Place the mixture into the terrine mould and tap to ensure there are no air pockets

Place a layer of spinach leaves over the top and cover with a piece of foil or baking paper

Place terrine into a baking dish half filled with water

Bake in the oven for 1 hour until firm and set

Allow to cool before placing into the fridge to chill overnight

Sauteed Mushrooms

Ingredients:

500g x Button Mushrooms, quartered

1tbsp Butter

1 x Garlic clove, crushed

Parsley to garnish

In a frypan heat the butter with the garlic being careful not to burn

Add the mushrooms and stir through to coat with the butter

Cook for about 2 minutes then garnish with the parsley 

Red Pepper Relish

3 x Red Capsicums, finely cut (juilenne)

2tbsp x Olive Oil

2tbsp x Red Wine Vinegar

2tbsp x Caster Sugar

half tsp x Cinnamon powder

half tsp x Ground Nutmeg

half tsp x Allspice

1-2 Fresh Chillies, diced

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and cook gently until softened

Relish is ready when it is thick and glossy