This Sous-Vide Terrine Is on Your Snack Board
I’m an absolute fool for a good meat board and I love all of their offerings, from super hard salumi to spreadable and whipped liver mousse. But there is something special about a terrine, which is, at best, a harmonious blend of flavors, textures and (of course) meat.
Terrine is a cross between pate and meatloaf. In addition to various animal organs and sausages, terrine usually contains eggs, cream, brandy, many wonderful spices, and even nuts or dried fruit. After mixing or layering, the loaf is cooked in a humid environment, then chilled, sliced and spread over really good bread.
Like anything else you want to keep moist and full of flavor, terrine seemed like a great candidate for sous vide. You can honestly make any terrine this way, but I chose a fairly simple and straightforward chicken and pork (based on this recipe from Epicurious ) sprinkled with ham cubes and peeled pistachios. To make it you will need:
- 2 tablespoons duck fat (butter can also be used)
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon allspice powder
- 1/4 teaspoon fresh nutmeg
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 2 eggs
- Brandy 3 tbsp
- 1/2 lb. shelled chicken liver
- 450 g fatty pork (20% good)
- 1/2 pound chicken sausage (any flavor)
- 1/2 lb ham, diced 1/2 inch
- 12 slices of bacon
Melt the fat in a skillet over medium heat, then sauté the onion and bay leaves until soft and tender, add the garlic and thyme and cook for another minute or so until everything is nice and aromatic, then transfer the mixture to a bowl. an ice bath to cool down.
Once it reaches room temperature, add the remaining seasoning, cream, brandy, and eggs.
Let everything mix and set aside the bowl. (You can remove it from the ice bath now.) Whisk the chicken liver in a food processor until coarsely chopped, then add the liver, ground pork, and sausage to the egg and cream mixture. Stir it well with your hands, then add the pistachios and ham cubes.
Place three strips of bacon on four small disposable bread tins, cover them with your meat mixture, then place the bacon on top of the mixture.
Close the bread pan in vacuum bags – this will help the bread keep its shape – then place them in a 155-degree bath for three hours. There is no need to let them sit beforehand for the flavors to merge, as the ones I leave hanging in the fridge overnight do not taste different from the ones I prepared right away.
When done, chill them in an ice bath and then refrigerate for at least 8 hours. When they are cold and hard, remove them from the jars. There will be some meat in the bag, and something like collagen will dangle on the loaf. Simply dry or rinse off with cold water and pat dry with paper towels.
Slice your pretty meat sculpture and spread it over some good bread. If you want, add some stone mustard there, but this is not necessary; everything is fine without him.
Serve as a snack, as part of a meat platter, or simply enjoy it for dinner with crusty bread and sour pickles.