TERRINE PAN RECIPES

Steps:

• Cook onion in butter in a 10-inch heavy skillet, covered, over moderately low heat, stirring frequently, until soft, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and thyme and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Transfer to a large bowl set in a bowl of ice.
• While onion cools, pulse salt, peppercorns, allspice, nutmeg, and bay leaf in grinder until finely ground. Add to onion mixture and whisk in cream, eggs, and brandy until combined well.
• Pulse chicken livers in a food processor until finely chopped, then add to onion mixture along with ground pork and veal and mix together well with your hands or a wooden spoon. Stir in ham cubes.
• Line bottom and long sides of terrine mold crosswise with about 6 to 9 strips of bacon, arranging them close together (but not overlapping) and leaving a 1/2- to 2-inch overhang. Fill terrine evenly with ground-meat mixture, rapping terrine on counter to compact it (it will mound slightly above edge). Cover top of terrine lengthwise with 2 or 3 more bacon slices if necessary to cover completely, and fold overhanging ends of bacon back over these. Cover terrine with plastic wrap and chill at least 8 hours to marinate meats.
• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 325°F.
• Discard plastic wrap and cover terrine tightly with a double layer of foil.
• Bake terrine in a water bath until thermometer inserted diagonally through foil at least 2 inches into center of terrine registers 155 to 160°F, 1 3/4 to 2 hours. Remove foil and let terrine stand in mold on a rack, 30 minutes.
• Put terrine in mold in a cleaned baking pan. Put a piece of parchment or wax paper over top of terrine, then place on top of parchment another same-size terrine mold or a piece of wood or heavy cardboard cut to fit inside mold and wrapped in foil. Put 2 to 3 (1-pound) cans on terrine or on wood or cardboard to weight cooked terrine. Chill terrine in pan with weights until completely cold, at least 4 hours. Continue to chill terrine, with or without weights, at least 24 hours to allow flavors to develop.
• Run a knife around inside edge of terrine and let stand in mold in a pan with 1 inch of hot water (to loosen bottom) 2 minutes. Tip terrine mold (holding terrine) to drain excess liquid, then invert a cutting board over terrine, reinvert terrine onto cutting board, and gently wipe outside of terrine (bacon strips) with a paper towel. Let terrine stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving, then transfer to a platter if desired and cut, as needed, into 1/2-inch-thick slices.

Steps:

• How to Cut a Terrine Board
• A buddy of mine showed me how much easier it was to weight down a terrine if you cut a piece of wood just for the purpose. You need the dimensions of the interior of your terrine.
• Then go out back and cut yourself a rectangle in those same dimensions minus 1/4 inch on all sides, so it will fit snugly.
• I used wood that was 1/4 inch thick. Cleverly, l marked mine with the words “Terrine Board” so that I don’t accidentally burn it in the fireplace.
• To use the terrine board, I wrap it in foil and place it over the terrine after it comes out of the oven.
• Then I weight it down with a foil-covered brick or a few 15-ounce cans.
• Wild Game Pâté
• Put the liver in a baking dish or bowl and cover with milk.
• Cover and let soak in the refriger­ator for 2 hours.
• Remove the liver, pat it dry, and discard the soaking liquid.
• Cut the liver into 1-inch pieces.
• Using a food processor, chop the liver finely until it forms a paste.
• Preheat the oven to 350°.
• In a large bowl, combine the liver, venison, cream, garlic, thyme, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and sage and mix well.
• In a sauté pan over medium heat, melt the butter.
• Add the shallots and cook until translu­cent and tender, about 5 minutes.
• Raise the heat to high.
• Remove the pan from the heat and add the brandy.
• Using a long-stemmed match or torch lighter, ignite the brandy and allow it to flame.
• Pour the flaming brandy and shallots into the meat mixture and stir to combine.
• Line a 5-cup lidded terrine mold with bacon, laying the slices across the bottom horizontally; the ends of the bacon should hang over the sides of the mold.
• Put one-quarter of the meat mixture into the mold on top of the bacon slices.
• Layer one-third of the breast strips on top of the meat mixture.
• Then top with another one-quarter of the meat mixture and another third of the breast strips.
• Repeat the layering, finishing with the last one-quarter of the meat mixture.
• Pat the mixture down firmly and fold the bacon ends over the top of the meat mixture. They should overlap in the middle of the terrine.
• Cover with the terrine lid (or with foil).
• Set the terrine in a roasting pan filled with enough water to come halfway up the sides of the terrine.
• Bake the terrine about 1-1-1/2 hours, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center reads 160°.
• Remove the terrine from the water bath and take off the lid.
• Cover the terrine with plastic wrap and then place a weighted board on top.
• Allow the terrine to cool on the counter for 1 hour, then place in refrigerator until thoroughly chilled, about 3 hours.
• When chilled, unmold the terrine.
• Wrap the whole terrine in plastic wrap and foil and let it mellow in the fridge for a day if you can wait-it will be even more delicious.
• If not, eat with crusty bread, gherkins, and mustard.