Champagne Fruit Terrine Recipes

COUNTRY TERRINE

Steps:

• Assemble and marinate terrine:
• 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.
• Bake terrine:
• 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.
• Weight terrine:
• 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.
• To serve:
• 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.

PROSECCO AND SUMMER FRUIT TERRINE

Steps:

• Arrange fruit in a 1 1/2-quart glass, ceramic, or nonstick terrine or loaf pan.
• Sprinkle gelatin over 1/4 cup Prosecco in a small bowl and let stand 1 minute to soften. Bring 1 cup Prosecco to a boil with sugar, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and add gelatin mixture, stirring until dissolved. Stir in remaining 3/4 cup Prosecco and lemon juice, then transfer to a metal bowl set in a larger bowl of ice and cold water. Cool mixture, stirring occasionally, just to room temperature.
• Slowly pour mixture over fruit, then chill, covered, until firm, at least 6 hours.
• To unmold, dip pan in a larger pan of hot water 3 to 5 seconds to loosen. Invert a serving plate over terrine and invert terrine onto plate.

SUMMER FRUIT TERRINE

Steps:

• To make the summer fruit terrine:
• In a saucepan combine the wine, the sugar, the lemon juice, and 1/2 cup water, bring the mixture to a boil, stirring until the sugar is dissolved, and add 2 of the peaches, peeled, halved, and pitted, cut sides down. Simmer the peaches for 10 to 15 minutes, or until they are very tender, and transfer them with a slotted spoon to a blender. Add 1 cup of the cooking liquid and blend the mixture until it is smooth. In a small saucepan sprinkle the gelatin over 1/3 cup cold water, let it soften for 5 minutes, and heat the mixture over low heat, stirring, until the gelatin is dissolved. With the motor running add the gelatin mixture in a stream to the peach mixture until it is combined well. (There will be about 2-1/2 cups peach purée.)
• Line a 5- to 6-cup terrine or loaf pan with plastic wrap and pour into it about 1/4 cup of the peach purée, or enough to just cover the bottom. Arrange half the strawberries, cut sides down, in one layer on the peach purée and pour enough of the peach purée over the strawberry layer to just cover it. Peel, halve, and pit the remaining 2 peaches, slice them thin, and in a bowl toss them with 1/4 cup of the peach purée. Arrange half the peach slices, overlapping them slightly, over the strawberry layer and pour enough of the remaining peach purée over the peach layer to just cover it.
• In a small bowl toss the raspberries and the blueberries with 1/4 cup of the peach purée and arrange the berries in one layer over the peaches. Pour enough of the remaining peach purée into the terrine to just cover the berries, in the bowl toss the grapes with about 2 tablespoons of the remaining purée, and arrange them in one layer over the berries. Pour enough of the remaining purée into the terrine to just cover the grape layer, arrange the remaining peaches in one layer, overlapping them slightly, over the grapes, and pour enough of the remaining purée over the peaches to just cover them. Arrange the remaining strawberries, cut sides up, in one layer over the peaches and cover them with remaining purée. Chill the terrine for 1 hour, or until it is just set, cover it with plastic wrap, and chill it overnight.
• Remove the plastic wrap from the top of the terrine, invert the terrine onto a serving plate, and peel off the plastic wrap carefully. Cut the terrine into 3/4-inch slices with a serrated knife and serve it with the sauce and the mint sprigs.
• To make the raspberry peach sauce:
• In a saucepan combine the sugar, the lemon juice, and 1/4 cup water and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. In a blender purée the peaches, peeled, pitted, and chopped, and raspberries with the sugar syrup until the mixture is smooth and force the mixture through a fine sieve set over a bowl, discarding the solids. Chill the sauce, covered, for a least 1 hour or overnight. Makes 2-1/4 cups.

CHAMPAGNE FRUIT TERRINE

Steps:

• Cut top and bottom off oranges and grapefruit. Cut off skin, removing any white pith, preserving the round shape.
• Cut the sections from the oranges and grapefruit. Place in a sieve to allow excess juice to collect in a bowl beneath. Reserve drained juice.
• Layer a loaf pan, starting wish grapefruit, then oranges, raspberries and blueberries. Repeat layers to within ½ inch of the top of the pan, finishing with a citrus layer.
• Dissolve gelatin in ½ cup of orange juice over low heat.
• Beat sugar into remaining orange juice and champagne.
• Gently rub the flowers of the mint over a plate to release the florets.
• Add flowers and dissolved gelatin. Pour over fruit.
• Chill in refrigerator at least 2 hours.
• Unmold just before serving.