CHICKEN and PORK TERRINE

Terrine is originally a French forcemeat loaf made with more coarsely chopped ingredients. Terrines are usually served cold or at room temperature.

You can enjoy this recipe either as a delicate starter on your dinner table or as on hors d'oeuvre in a cocktail party.

This recipe is designed to yield 12-15 appetizer/starter portions

Ingredients
520 gr. Chicken breasts
360 gr. Lean pork
320 gr. Bacon
1 Lemon, juice (almost 1 Tbsp)
2 Eggs
2 Tbsp Chopped parsley
1 tspSalt
1 tspGreen peppercorns, crushed
1 tsp Kirsch
½ tsp Chilli flakes, crushed
¼ tsp Ground ginger
¼ tsp Thyme

Kirsch

Kirsch is a clear, colorless fruit brandy traditionally made from double distillation of morello cherries, a dark-colored cultivar of the sour cherry. The cherries are fermented complete, including their stones. Unlike cherry liqueurs and so-called cherry brandies, Kirsch is not sweet.

The best kirsch has a refined taste with subtle flavors of cherry and a slight bitter-almond taste that derives from the stones.
If you dont have Kirsch at home, just for this recipe you can substitute it with ½ tsp of anise liquor or extract.
 
Method

1.Put the bacon on a cutting board and stretch them, working with one slice of bacon at a time. Press the back of your knife on the bacon slice on one end and slide it towards the other end gently. Try not to tear the bacon as it will form the outer crust of the terrine.

2.Preheat the oven to 325ºF. 

3.Take a loaf pan of 8 inches long with 3 lbs. of capacity. Arrange the bacon slices over the base and the sides of the pan in single layer and allow them to overlap to create a tiled surface.

4.Cut 1/3 of the chicken breasts (155-160 gr) in strips and sprinkle with lemon juice to attain a white color.

5.Add the remaining ingredients to the meat mixture and process them until just incorporated.

6.Spoon half of the mixture into the loaf pan and level the surface. Arrange the chicken strips on top of the mixture and spoon in the rest of the mixture on top of them all. Level the surface again.

7.Knock the pan firmly but slowly on the counter to set the mixture evenly in the pan and also to allow the air pockets out. Fold in the bacon strips hanging over the sides of the pan on to the mixture.

8.Cover the loaf pan with greased foil. Grab a big roasting pan and place the covered loaf pan in the roasting pan. Pour in enough boiling water, slightly higher than the half way of the loaf pan. Put it into the oven.

9.Bake the terrine for 1.5 hour until firm to the touch. Check in 10 minutes intervals after the first hour.

10.The meat and the bacon wraps yield quite a lot of liquid. When cooked drain the liquid and cool the terrine down in its original loaf pan. Then turn it out on a big plate or on a serving dish and chill it until needed.

11.Served sliced with lemon wedges and mixed greens.s

BON APPETITE!

POUCHED PEARS in RED WINE

This dessert is light but rich in flavor. It would be a marvelous ending to a heavy meal or a long and cheerful entertainment.

Its deep red color makes it a perfect match also for a Valentine’s Day Dinner.

This recipe is designed to yield either 8 or 16 portions, depending on how you would prefer to present the pears.

Ingredients

8        Pears
1.5 lt. Red Wine
350 gr           Granulated sugar
5-6     Star Anise
1        Vanilla Bean (cut into half lengthwise)
8-9     Black peppercorns
1        Orange, zest
2 inches thick cinnamon stick
 
Pears
For this recipe both Anjou and Bosc pears work perfect. Always try to choose firm ones as they can stand better in cooking.

You can either poach them as a whole or in halves. If you use halves as it would be easy for you to fit them in the saucepan submerged in wine. For the wholes you may need to flip them over from time to time to attain uniform coloring and even cooking.

Poaching in halves or as a whole also depends on your preference on the portion size and how you would like to present them.

Red Wine

Any full bodied red wine would absolutely work amazing. If you choose one with spicy notes you would emphasize the spiciness of the syrup which will give even a deeper oriental taste to the dessert. If you would like to go with floral notes, that will brighten up bring the taste and the smell of the pear.

You can always substitute red wine with white. You will still get a refreshing and elegant dessert but you may sacrifice the depth in the taste and definitely the beautiful red colour.

Star Anise

Star anise is a spice that closely resembles anise in flavor and has a big star shape. It is harvested from a small native evergreen tree of northeast Vietnam and southwest China.

If you don’t have star anise at home you can substitute it with 1 Tbsp of anise liquor or ½ tsp of pure anise extract. If you don’t like a lot anise flavor you can always use less or none. However it that case use whole cloves in the recipe. I would definitely recommend you to try this recipe with star anise as it creates a distinctive flavor that you won’t easily forget.

Vanilla Beans

You can easily substitute vanilla beans in this recipe with 1 tsp pure vanilla extract, however you would discover that the vanilla beans would yield a more floral and hypnotizing result.

Method

1.    Combine all the ingredients except the pears in a large saucepan.

2.    Peel and core the pears, leaving the stems intact. If you would like to serve in halves this is the time that you should cut the pear in half. Try to cut the step into half too. Put the peeled pears into the liquid. This will help to prevent the discoloring of the pears while you are peeling the rest.

3.    Arrange all the pears in the liquid in a single layer. Cover the pears and the liquid with parchment paper cut into circle to fit the saucepan. This will help you to keep the pears submerged in liquid and also control the evaporation of the liquid.

4.    Place the pears on the stovetop over medium-high heat. Bring to just below a boil, then immediately reduce the heat and allow liquid to simmer gently.

5.    Continue poaching the pears until tender, approximately 1-1.5 hours. When you check with your fingers it should be quite soft to the touch and if you pick with a toothpick you should see no resistance.

6.    Remove the pan from the heat, take out the pears carefully and place them on a plate.

7.    Return the liquid to the stove top. Reduce until the liquid is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. This consistency is achieved at least after the 2/3’s of the liquid evaporates.

8.    Serve the pears chilled in a pool of reduced wine syrup with whipped cream or mascarpone cheese, garnish with nuts and/or crumbled cookies.

HINT! The left wine syrup is a perfect combination with your morning pancakes. Just try!

BON APPETITE!