Pheasant, Pork Belly & Foie Gras Terrine + Artisan Bread in 5 minutes

terrine-1word

Arrghh… My internet connection hasn’t been working for days. I almost feel like a normal human being again except that the real life is not as much exciting as this blogging world. I much rather be here with you and talk about how to make a terrine from scratch or about wrestling matches between pigs versus humans.

Imagine coming face to face with Conan the Barbarian in a narrow hallway… That’s how the pheasant, the duck and the pig felt when they met me. Poor things! Why did they have to be born so delicious? What a curse… Oh well, get over it!!

It’s really not hard to make a delicious terrine from scratch, all you need is a good butcher, a little patience and of course… a serious dose of pork love. If you don’t know what pork love is you haven’t been looking hard enough.
The meat for the terrine is cubed, tossed in garlic, thyme, four spice, cognac and pink salt on the first day, then left to marinate and cure overnight. The next day the fragrant mixture is ground (that’s where it helps to have a good butcher, he can do this for you), then packed into a terrine and cooked at low temperature in a bain-marie for 2 hours. The hardest part is giving the terrine a rest in the refrigerator for the next 2 or 3 days before cutting a slice, it helps develop the flavor, but when you finally do.. oh wow. It’s a valse of flavors.

I thought this terrine would be a great opportunity to try to make ZoeBakes bread after reading the great reviews it got everywhere on the internet. So i went ahead and bought her book (with co-author Jeff Hertzberg) Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day and jumped right in the flour bin. I was rescued and revived a few hours later… that will teach me not to read a recipe to the end. I started a batch… It took me exactly 3 minutes and 12 seconds. Zoe and Jeff clearly didn’t take into consideration the 10 cups of coffee I drink everyday when they named the book. It was fantastic! Great crust and all. I was really impressed. No no.. don’t count on me to reveal a blogger’s secret. Go ahead and buy the book and you’ll be making breads like this one in no time at all.

  • Pheasant, Pork Belly & Foie Gras Terrine

    Recipe adapted from Daniel Boulud
    • Serves a bunch
    • 1 whole pheasant, boneless, skinless, meat cut into strips. (you can have your butcher do this for you)
    • 14 ounces pork belly, cubed
    • 6 ounces fresh foie gras, denerved and deveined, cut in chunks
    • 5 ounces chicken livers
    • 1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
    • 2 tablespoons dry white wine
    • 1 tablespoon cognac
    • 1 sprig of thyme, leaves chopped
    • 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon pink salt
    • 1 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
    • ¼ teaspoon four-spice (ground black pepper, ground cinnamon, ground
    • nutmeg and ground cloves in equal parts)
    • 3 ounces country bacon, cut into chunks
    • 3 ounces smoked bacon, cut into chunks
    • In a large bowl, combine the pheasant meat with the pork belly, foie gras, chicken livers, garlic, white wine, brandy, thyme, pink salt, pepper and four-spice. Cover with plastic wrap and let meat marinate overnight in the refrigerator.
    • Preheat oven to 250’F. Pass the meat mixture and bacons through a meat grinder set on medium (you can have a butcher do this for you)

    • Place the meat in the bowl of a stand-up mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat the mixture on medium-high speed for 15-20 seconds. Don’t overdo-it or there will be spanking! That step is important in creating an ’emulsion’ between the fat and the meat and in distributing the seasoning evenly.

    • Pack the mixture into a terrine mold. Even the top with wet fingers, yes it’s just like play-doh. And if it’s pork fat, it’s gotta be fun! Don’t lick your fingers though. Wrap the terrine in aluminum foil and place in a shallow dish, pour warm water to come halfway up the sides.

    • Place in the oven and cook until the temperature inside the terrine reaches 165’F. I know, i screwed up. Mine reached 166.3F… I was too busy chatting on twitter.

    • Remove the terrine from the water bath and let it rest for a few minutes. Remove the foil. Cut a piece of cardboard the size of the top of the terrine and wrap it in aluminum foil. Wrap the terrine in plastic wrap, place the cardboard on top and weight it down with cans, weights.. whatever!

    • Place the whole thing in the refrigerator and forget about it for at least 2 or 3 days before cutting the first slice. I know it’s hard, but you can do it! Enjoy with Zoebakes’s bread!
  • Wasn’t too scary, was it?

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  • T.W. Barritt at Culinary Types

    I think Foie Gras is the perfect food. If this is your “real life” I’ll take it!

  • dirtykitchensecrets

    I’m getting fat already… but dude so worth it… BTW I’m going to be in NYC April9th-13th… would love to meet you!

  • Nicole

    Hmmm… Scary for me to think of making myself but not too scary to EAT it all up! You never cease to amaze. I love the 5 minute a day bread. Isn’t it fun to know it is so easy? I still need to get the book though.

  • Colloquial Cook

    I’ll just jump on my soapbox and shout out loud “Make this terrine! I’ve had the privilege to taste it and I LOVED it!”

    It’s the terrine of kings and king of terrines.

    There.

  • doggybloggy

    well you made this seem easy as pie….

  • Stacey Snacks

    If you look outside your window, Henry is outside waiting for a slice!

  • 5 Star Foodie

    Oh, wow, that does look pretty amazing and you make it seem very easy to make! I’ve heard about the fabulous 5-minute bread but haven’t made it yet.

  • Ginny

    wow! pretty amazing! :)

  • Lazy baker

    You had me licking my screen when I saw your terrine!
    Y-a-til quelque chose que vous nes faite pas bien? Ce serait un suprise!

  • Giff

    “place the cardboard on top and weight it down with cans, weights.. whatever!”

    i’m trying to figure out if that is honey or tequila holding down the terrine :) I’m guessing something alcoholic!

  • Elinluv

    Mmmm yummilicious !!I wish you were my neighbor :))

  • Ben

    “Poor things! Why did they have to be born so delicious? What a curse… Oh well, get over it!!” This is an instant classic phrase, LOL

  • TavoLini

    Three minutes and 12 seconds?! I believe I need to try your coffee 😉

    Looks good all around, and I’m definitely intrigued by the bread.

  • Sweet Charity

    oh god! This just reminds me of how much I love a good terrine. It’s been so long since I’ve dived into charcuterie, I’m going to have to hit some up on my way to work now.

  • Mike of Mike’s Table

    Your cooking is getting richer and awesomer these days. That sounds incredible

  • The Short (dis)Order Cook

    My arteries are clogging just looking at that post.

    No licking my fingers after handling pork fat? That’s just cruel.

  • we are never full

    dude… if i was married to you and you made me your food all the time you’d be married to a heffer. b/c i wouldn’t stop eating at a nice, dainty bite. i’d set my alarm and sneak down in the middle of the night w/ a large soup spoon and finish that thing off.

    and you know how much “pork love” we have. this looks amazing.

  • Clumbsy Cookie

    Do you have a picture of you after jumping into the flour bin?

  • Big Boys Oven

    cool I wanted to make terrine for ages . .. this postt of yours defintely motivates me! better get my butt moving lol!

  • White on Rice Couple

    The terrine sounds awesome! We love the Artisan Bread book too. Another one of those things, the less you f%#$ with it, the better it is. Thanks for sharing the great terrine recipe. Todd

  • http://goldilocksfindsmanhattan.blogspot.com/ Ulla

    I love pate! That looks so wonderful, we usually do it danish-style but the french I think do it better:)

  • Jenny

    I made this and it tasted delicious, I actually ground the meat myself with a hand crank (wow – harder than it sounds and kind of gross too :)

    Mine ended up with a lot of fat on the sides, and not as pretty as yours but delicious none the less.

    Thanks for posting!