The CAB Recipe: Country Terrine

Terrines are essentially fancy meatloaves that can be eaten hot or cold. They get their name from the distinct loaf pan used to give their long and thin shape. Generally though, a terrine recipe can be made using any type of pan; in fact, terrines can be rolled into plastic wrap and poached to create what's known as a roulade. But we're not going to do that today.

Country terrines are the most basic kind of terrine, drawn from old countryside recipes (which country I'm not sure), where ease of preparation and simple ingredients were required. Despite their simplicity, they are delicious and perfect as a small, but very filling lunch. This recipe borrows heavily from Charcuterie, (probably the best book for condensing the basics of terrines, meat curing and sausage making), which elegantly refers to this realm of cooking as "The Cinderella Meatloaf."

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds boneless pork shoulder butt, ground (either at home or by your butcher).
• 4 ounces chicken liver, finely chopped or ground.
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup cream
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 2 tablespoons brandy (or other sweet brown liquor)
• 1/4 cup onion
• 2 tablespoons shallots
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 8 tablespoons parsley 
• 1 teaspoon ground pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon paté
• 2 tablespoons kosher salt
• 1 cup sauted crimini mushrooms
• 1/2 to 1 cup pistachios

Instructions:

1. Preheat your oven to 300 degrees and thoroughly chill your meat and other ingredients. Place a mixing bowl in the freezer to chill. 
2. Once your oven is nice and hot, pull out your ingredients and mix everything together (it helps to use a stand mixer). Stir until the meat begins to stick to the sides of the bowl and pulls together into one mass. 
3. Line a terrine pan or other loaf pan with a plastic wrap that hangs generously over each side. Moisten the sides of the pan first to help the wrap cling. Fill the pan with the prepared mixture, patting down to remove air bubbles. Cover the meat with the extra plastic wrap, then cover the pan either with a lid or foil. Don't worry - the plastic wrap won't burn, just don't turn your oven up any hotter. 
4. Set the loaf pan in a roasting pan and set in the oven. Fill the roasting pan with hot tap water until the water level is halfway up the terrine pan. Don't try to add the water first and then set the pans in the oven, unless you enjoy spilling water everywhere and burning yourself. 
5. Let cook for about two hours or until the internal temperature is 165 degrees. 
6. Remove the terrine pan from the oven, take off the cover and let cool. It's better if you can place an even weight across the top of the terrine as it cools, however it's difficult to find a tool that's useful for this purpose (a thin piece of plexiglass with two cans of soup set on top can do the trick). 
7. Once the terrine has cooled, place in the fridge and let cool completely, ideally letting it sit overnight. Remove from the pan by inverting the pan carefully. Dispose of the plastic wrap.