Sous Vide Country Terrine

I've made country terrines many times, but this sous vide country terrine is hands down the best so far. I'll never use a bain marie (water bath) again.

Recipe:

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

• 1 cup finely chopped red onion

• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

• 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh thyme (or 1 tsp. dried, crumbled)

• 2 tsp. coarse sea salt (less if you use table salt)

• 1/4 tsp. ground allspice

• 1/2 tsp. nutmeg

• 1/2 cup heavy cream

• 2 large eggs

• 3 Tbsp. brandy

• 1/2 lb chicken livers

• 1/2 lb ground pork

• 1/2 lb ground veal

• 2 oz. salt cured pork fat back diced small

• 1 small chicken breast, diced into 1/2-3/4-inch chunks

• 2-4 asparagus spears, trimmed to fit terrine mold/pan

• 3-4 green olives

• 3-4 nicoise olives (or kalamata)

• 12 bacon slices (more for a larger mold/pan)

Directions

Heat a 12-inch saute pan and add the butter. When hot, add in the oions and cook over moderate heat until very soft but not browned. Add garlic and thyme and saute for 1 minute more. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

Add salt, allspice, and nutmeg, 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 them to the onion mixture along with the fat back, ground pork, chicken and veal. Mix well using your hands or a wooden spoon.

Lay strips of bacon crosswise in a terrine mold or loaf pan so that they touch but don't overlap, leaving about two inches on each side hanging over the edge of the mold or pan. (If you're using a full-size loaf pan, that may require more strips of bacon. The idea is to encase the filling completely in bacon.)

Fill the mold or pan about 1/4 full with the meat filling (farce), press in a couple of asparagus spears, then continue filling, adding remaining asparagus and olives until the mold/pan is full.

Fold overhanging ends of bacon back over these. Vacuum seal the completed terrine and refrigerate overnight.

Cook in a sous vide bath at 65.5C (about 150F) for 2-3 hours, depending on the size of the loaf. The idea is to get the terrine up to temp and hold it there for several minutes, to pasteurize.

When the terrine is cooked, return it to the refrigerator for at two-three hours, or until thoroughly chilled.

Serve accompanied by your favorite mustard, baguette slices and maybe a few cornichons -- or as part of a charcuterie board.

Note: This terrine can be made using a water bath in an oven (without vacuum sealing). If so, you may want to weight it down during the final cooling to keep it intact.

Full printable recipe (and additional recipe sources) at http://ift.tt/1SwRvGp

bon appetit