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| Lower-fat Chunky Country Terrine with challah bun and picallili 'Mmm; Mmm! ' 'Love the pistachios (not in photo) and hint of orange' 'The gherkins were inspired' (Tasters) updated from June 2017 |
67 loves a good country terrine, coarse in texture, studded with nuts and chunky with strips of chicken and/or ham. But normal terrines have been off the 67 menu for some time, mainly due to the presence of fatty pork shoulder and belly, plus lashings of streaky bacon.
But this recipe, adapted from the Hairy Bikers by 67, has judicious substitutions which produce a gorgeous multi-textured/flavoured terrine that's surprisingly low in fat and cholesterol.
Chicken replaced pork shoulder; pork cheeks (very cheap) and pork fillet (not so cheap) were substituted for pork belly; back bacon shorn of fat replaced streaky bacon. Smoked ham hock cooked till meltingly tender (or thick slices of ham if you like) was incorporated into the terrine to add flavour.
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| Terrine Platter with Devilled Eggs & Aubergine Pate |
The terrine, for special occasions, is a financial indulgence. The cost is over £10 but it will feed many if the terrine is sliced thickly and served in fingers. A similar shop-bought terrine would cost a great deal more.
A budget-friendly option is available; as is a version for those not worried about cholesterol.
Given the amount of alcohol involved, pate is said to last up to a month but 67 wouldn't chance it more than 3-4 days.
This isn't an easy-peasy recipe; it takes a fair few steps and some time to prepare but much of it is resting time. The method is - apart from hand mincing some of the meat - straight forward. The result is worth it!
If a simpler method and a smoother pate is preferred, don't bother with mincing by hand; use a food processor for the meat base but keep whole the strips of chicken, ham & gherkins/pickles & pistachios.
Prepare at least a day before serving.
Cost: £10'ish
Feeds: 24 as an appetiser
Recipe:
10 1/2oz/300gm boneless chicken thighs
3 1/2 oz pork cheek + 7oz/200 gm pork fillet
OR
10 1/2oz/300gm pork fillet
8oz/225gm chicken liver (pref organic/from a trusted independent butcher)
100 gms back bacon, fat removed
zest of 2 oranges
juice of 1 orange
6 tbsp brandy or purple grape juice
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| Close-up of Low-fat Coarse Terrine on Canape Platter |
1-2 cloves garlic minced (67 used 2)
3-4 spring onions, whites only, finely minced
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp salt
1 tsp coarse pepper
pinch nutmeg (opt)
pinch cloves (opt)
bay leaf (opt)
2tbsp Worcestershire sauce
6oz/170gm raw chicken breast, in narrow strips
whole gherkns/narrow spears of dill pickle OR/AND generous handful of pistachios (rubbed lightly to remove salt)
8oz/250gm smoked ham hock, cooked till tender or 1-2 thick slices of ham
Equipment:
- Loaf tin 4 1/2 x8 1/2 inches with a depth of 2 1/2 inches/11 x 21 cm with a depth of 5 1/2 cm or equiv
- Roasting tin just big enough to hold the loaf tin
- Take half of the chicken thighs, pork, chicken livers and bacon; either (1) mince by hand for a very coarse texture (see How to...Make Mince without a Mincer/Processor) or (2) process roughly
- Mince the rest of the chicken thighs; roughly chop the other half of the pork, chicken livers & bacon and mix well with minced chicken; add to rest of the meat; stir until well mixed
- Add orange juice & zest, brandy, herbs, onions, garlic, s&p, bay leaf & Worcestershire sauce; mix well; chill 1-3 hours
- Test flavour by frying a teaspoon of the mix; you may wish to add more garlic, Worcestershire or s&p
- Preheat oven to 160c/325f/gas3
- Place a strip of greaseproof paper down the length of the loaf pan; the ends should extend over the tin's edge
- Remove bay leaf from terrine mix
- Spread 1/4 of the terrine mix in the bottom of the tin
- Cover with 3-4 strips of ham, neatly spaced, running from the length of the tin
- Cover with another quarter of the meat mix; level
- Add 3-4 lines of gherkin/pickle spears; sprinkle over pistachios if using
- Add a further quarter of the meat mix
- Top with 3-4 neatly spaced strips chicken breast
- Top with the final quarter of meat
- Cover tin with a lid or a tight double layer of foil
- Place in a baking tray just big enough to hold the pate (too large a tin & the terrine will dry out); pour just-boiled water into the bottom of the baking tray, outside the terrine, to a level of 3/4 inch/2cm (surrounding the terrine tin with water)
- Bake 90mins; it's done when a metal skewer or knife inserted into the centre feels hot to the touch
- Remove foil; cool 30 mins; drain off some the liquid
- Cover with a clean double layer of foil; place heavy weights on top; cool and refrigerate at least overnight
- Serve in thick slices, halved vertically, with pickle or mustard picallli
Tasters:
'This tastes great; it's moist with a great texture and the right amount of garlic. The gherkin is inspired.' Political Agent
'It's fantastic; I loved the pistachios and hint of orange.' Mature office organiser
'Mmm. Mmm!' Political Chauffeur/Girl Friday
Tips:
- For the Frugal or those not worried about fat, replace chicken thighs with standard minced turkey and use pork shoulder & belly rather than pork fillet. Leave out the pistachios; reduce or leave out the strips of chicken
- There is no reason why a version of this terrine with beef replacing pork and pastrami replacing bacon shouldn't work, though the spicing may need to be changed.
First courses/canapes on NavBar/Recipes II (near bottom of page)
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This recipe has been developed by B M Lee/ Bright Sun Enterprises. It may not be reproduced without the author's written permission.
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