“Terrine is part of the charcuterie family and a very important part of French custom,” says France-Soir chef Jean-Paul Prunetti. “Every farm had their own recipes and made charcuterie every time a pig was butchered. Farmers would come to the market to sell their charcuterie alongside butchers and other vendors. If you didn’t buy it at the market, you would buy your charcuterie from a triperie – a specialty shop that’s very rare today – in which the butcher specialises in only pork products. Growing up, terrine was not something we ate very much, but as soon as I started working in the industry, I saw terrine of all shapes, sizes and parfum everywhere. It was and still is one of the most basic bistro menu items. Terrine was de rigueur – everyone served it. Early on it was placed on the bar or on a little chariot with a huge variety of other charcuterie, served always with cornichons and baskets of crusty baguette, often served with first drinks, a slice shared between friends, or eaten mid-morning with a little red wine. In France, particularly in the countryside, for breakfast we would have a coffee with maybe some fresh bread and then go out for a few hours to work on the farm or go to the market, then come back for a little slice of terrine and nip of wine at 10am – lunch was never before 1pm.” Start this recipe two days ahead to marinate the meats.
Ingredients
Method
Main
1.Dice back-fat, liver and meats and mix in a bowl with brandy, truffle purée, leek, salt and dried herbs, cover and refrigerate overnight.
2.Preheat oven to 160C. Soak the caul fat in cold water for 30 minutes, then rinse and squeeze out excess water, ensuring fat is dry. Line a 1.2-litre ceramic or cast-aluminium terrine mould with caul fat, leaving enough overhanging to cover terrine.
3.Coarsely mince marinated meats, including any liquid (if you don’t have a mincer, finely chop the meats), then mix in an electric mixer on low speed to combine well. Press firmly into terrine mould, pushing into corners and sides. Fold overhanging caul fat over to cover meat, top with bay leaves, cover tightly with foil and place in a deep roasting pan. Fill the pan with lukewarm water to three-quarters of the way up the sides of the mould and bake until internal temperature reaches 65C on a meat thermometer (about 1 hour 15 minutes). Cool to room temperature (3-4 hours; to reduce this time, place the mould in a bath of cold water when it’s no longer steaming), cover, then refrigerate until chilled and firm (overnight). Terrine can be made 2 days ahead.
4.Turn out terrine, scrape off excess jelly, cut into thick slices and serve at room temperature with cornichons, butter lettuce, chopped chives, and crusty baguette.
Pork liver and caul fat are available from select butchers, but need to be ordered ahead; caul fat needs to be soaked in cold water if frozen. Truffle purée is available from select delicatessens and online from finefrenchfood.com.au. Dried herbes de Provence, a blend of herbs typically including thyme, parsley and marjoram, is available from select delicatessens.
Drink Suggestion: 2014 Domaine Joseph Chamonard Morgon Les Clos de Lys, Beaujolais. Drink suggestion by Pierre Stock
