Le Terrine: An Acquired Taste

January 18, 2006

Le Terrine: An Acquired Taste

I want to talk about Terrines, because le Français love these slow cooked delicacies and I myself find them beautiful but inedible. If there's one thing I love about French cooking it's how it makes use of most of the animal without waste. However, terrine's take that to a whole different level...

Terrines can be difficult to make and normally include some of the following ingredients: chicken livers, pigs, ducks legs & liver, goose fat, pork shoulder and neck, herbs, spices, wild mushrooms, prunes, wine, brandy, and occasionally black truffles from Perigord. Ingredients are layered inbetween a stuffing or forcemeat and then wrapped in fatback to larder. Fatback, in case you're wondering, is a thick sheet of pork fat that is used to keep terrine moist while it bakes. Most of the ingredients are parcooked in goosefat prior to assemby.

Now the great thing about terrine's, besides their magpie appeal after slicing, is that they can be kept unsliced for up to one week. Normally the high fat content helps to ensure their longevity. They are often served on a decorated tray of aspic (gelatin) and sometimes packed in gelatin too.

Le Cordon Bleu