Friday, February 8, 2013

Terrines, while we wait


As an afterthought, I made a rabbit terrine.

Tonight, if they make it through the snow**, we'll feed friends on the rest of the rabbit, in mustard sauce. But my very limited experience with the, ah...bunny, is that there are many annoying little bones. So this time I reserved just the legs for dinner and then cut the meat from all the other bits, to spare us the toothpick size problems. I have frozen all the stripped bones for making stock. The meat I chopped up with the liver and kidneys (did I just hear a vegetarian pass out..? I'm sorry)...

The terrine is a hybrid of Patricia Wells' recipe in Bistro Cooking and Richard Olney's in Simple French Food. Haha. Simple. He was a funny man. I suppose simple is relative. I messed with the seasonings, as usual - cognac, juniper, lots of thyme and a heavy hand with the salt and pepper. And I added, at Olney's suggestion, a paste of breadcrumbs and garlic.

I'll only know how it tastes once I've unmoulded it. It cooked in a low oven in a bain marie. Hot water bath. As I type is the terrine is weighed down with one jar of grape jam, a can of beans and a bottle of artichokes, with dry black beans as ballast. This will compress it a little and also press the meat layer below the fat that melted from the applewood-smoked bacon. I've made a similar terrine before, for a dinner over a year ago, and, like an idiot, I did not write that one down. It was very good. This one will be different, but at least this time I took notes. My newer habit. I have a little black book of untranscribed recipes, now...

Otherwise, we wait. For the promised - or threatened snow. I am very excited. If you have a warm bed to sleep in, and a roof over your head, snow is very beautiful. I'll never grow tired of its magic.

**...well, we now have five courses of deliciousness to last us through the weekend! Snow is coming down, and, so far, it's gorgeous.


12 comments:

  1. I'm impressed by your terrine making.

    I made one a few years back in my antique French terrine game mold, and it came out like a meatloaf.

    Enjoy the snow feast!

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    Replies
    1. I suppose one could look at terrines as cold meatloaf :-) But then, I grew up with them and so have a longstanding love of terrines.

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  2. Somehow from your comments, I don't think that you have to actually shovel any of the impending snow nor dig out a car...

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    1. I certainly do not.

      All I have to do is work everywhere I need to be.

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    2. My sister up in Massachusetts says that it has already started snowing. They are expecting 2 - 3 FEET! What about NY? I knew there was a good reason that I moved to Virginia - we are just supposed to get rain. :-)

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  3. Just hope your power stays on, altho the cold terrine helps there, too. It sounds wonderful and you are very thoughtful to worry about the vegetarians. It's only raining here, but I already have more than an inch standing the low spots. Feast or famine seems to be the game this winter.

    Will be thinking of you and the Frenchman and hoping for good snow and power thru the weekend.

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  4. Yes, this bunny owner just passed out. But no judging. Your scavenging skills trump the meat eating!

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    Replies
    1. Oh dear. I also had bunnies, growing up. Recently I discovered some Brooklyn rooftop rabbits, but they are raised for food.

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  5. I recall during the war (don't mention the war) in England, having wild rabbit, caught in the surrounding countryside, being the regular meat staple. Well done for your terrine.

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