Terrine Of Pork Chez Panisse 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.

TERRINE OF PORK CHEZ PANISSE

Steps:

• Slice fatback into thin strips and dice into uniform pieces, about 1/8 inch thick. Cut pork into thin strips and dice. Distribute fatback pieces on top of pork. Divide mixture in half on a chopping block and chop in two batches; chop until you have a varied forcemeat of fine and coarse bits of pork. When chopping, go over mixture with cleaver or knife several times, turning mixture with the blade, until you achieve the right consistency.
• Slice liver; dice it; chop as finely as possible to a near-liquid consistency. Combine chopped meat and fat with liver in a large bowl.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
• Heat olive oil in a small saute pan, add shallots and saute gently 5 minutes without browning until they are soft. Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, combine bread crumbs and white wine and stir until crumbs are soaked. Add wine-soaked bread crumbs, softened shallots, garlic, parsley, pistachio nuts and all spices to the pork forcemeat and mix thoroughly by hand.
• Line a 1 1/2-quart terrine or loaf mold with chard leaves: cover the bottom with a large leaf and overlap the other leaves around the sides, allowing them to drape over the edge about 2 inches, trimming them if necessary. Pack forcemeat mixture into mold, mounding slightly, and fold leaves over top to enclose it. Rap bottom of mold against table to settle contents and place in a baking pan with enough water to come two-thirds of the way up the sides of the mold. Bake 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 hours, or until a meat thermometer, inserted only as far as the center, reads 130 degrees.
• Remove from oven and let cool 20 minutes. On the terrine, place a dish or flat board and, on top of that, a weight (a 2- or 3-pound can will do). Continue cooling at room temperature several hours. When cool and quite firm, remove weight, wrap terrine well and place in refrigerator to ripen a day or longer before serving.

CHEZ PANISSE BRINE FOR PORK, CHICKEN AND TURKEY

Steps:

• Place the water in a large pot that can easily hold the liquid and the meat you intend to brine. Add all the ingredients and stir for a minute or so until the sugar and salt dissolve. Refrigerate poultry in the brine for 24 hours; pork for 3 days. If the meat floats to the top, use a plate or other weight to keep it completely submerged in the brine.
• To cook chicken: Stuff the cavity with onions, lemon wedges, and herbs such as thyme, parsley, and rosemary. Rub the skin with oil to help browning. Sprinkle with fresh ground pepper. (Salt isn't needed because of the brine.) Cook uncovered in a 400-degree oven until done, about 1 hour and 15 minutes for a 3 1/2- to 4 pound chicken.
• To cook turkey: Stuff the cavity with lemons, herbs, and onions, if desired. Rub the skin with oil and sprinkle with fresh ground pepper. Cook uncovered in a 400-degree oven for 12 to 15 minutes per pound until the internal temperature at the thickest part of the thigh registers at least 165 degrees.
• To cook a boneless pork roast: Sprinkle the roast with pepper and herbs such as sage, thyme, or tarragon, if desired. Roast uncovered in a 400-degree oven for about 12 to 15 minutes per pound or until the internal temperature reaches 150 to 160 degrees.