Before we get into my terrine, I want to announce the winner of my Nordic Ware Giveaway.

The winner is….Anali!

RANDOM.ORG – List Randomizer

Congratulations  Anali and enjoy. Nordic Ware really is popular and these will be cherished tools for a long time in your baking.

Now back to the post at hand.I love the art of Charcuterie and the terrine. When I was about 12 years old I even made my own first terrine, after seeing some article in a magazine. I don’t know how or what propelled me to do it, but my mother carried it off to some office picnic, and she brought back good reviews.It was a heavy pork and garlic loaded pate.No one really believed her child made a pate , let alone knew what one was. I was precocious. I had a special Mother that encouraged my gifts and whims. Those latent forces are back at work twenty nine years later. This time I have some extra tools and gadgets to do a better  job. Like this beautiful Le Creuset Foie Gras Terrine with press. Isn’t it beautiful?

I knew pork  and some sort of liver would be a major component. But I decide to throw some rabbit in the mix. This was my first time working with rabbit and I wasn’t very good de boning it. My intent was to put large medallions of the saddle in the center, but I couldn’t get that cut. Nevertheless it all went into the meat grinder with a few chucks of larger pieces here and there. Most terrine recipes are complicated affairs. I confess , I skipped a lot of the fuss and stocks, extra wraps of fat /bacon.etc . The end result still came out with a rich , moist, and rustic terrine. Baked in a water batch slowly, and then pressed to extract the excess fat, the end result was redolent of garlic and green peppercorns, and hearty. Perfect on a hot day to serve  chilled with wines , cheese, and fruits.

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Rustic Pork and Rabbit Terrine

• 1 rabbit
• 1.5 lbs pork belly ( no skin)
• 1 pint of chicken livers
• 1/2 fist of garlic (4-5 cloves)
• 1/2 cup cognac
• 1 tablespoon green peppercorns
• 1 teaspoon dried Thyme
• Sea Salt to taste

Equipment needed:

Meat grinder or food processor

Terrine or loaf baking dish.

1. De bone your rabbit and cut into small pieces. Leave some pieces larger  to not grind. Be sure to save and freeze your carcass for soup or stews later on.
2. Cut up  the pork belly.
3. In a large container with lid , add the cut up  pork belly, rabbit( not the larger pieces), and chicken livers. Add garlic, Thyme, salt, green peppercorns, and cognac. Cover and allow to marinate in the refrigerator over night.
4. Grind all your meats including the livers, with the peppercorns  and garlic with a coarse grind.
5. Preheat oven to 400 F.
6. Line your terrine pan with parchment paper. Cut slashes and each corner  and insert in pan to line completely.
7. Gently pack in you ground meat into terrine while adding a few layers of the larger rabbit pieces periodically.
8. Pack until full. Top with another sheet of parchment paper.
9. Cover terrine with lid. If using a baking loaf pan, wrap with heavy aluminum foil.
10. Bake in a water bath (pan  in another larger pan with hot water) at 325  for approximately 1.5 hours.
11. Take out.
12. Take a  foil brick or the terrines press  and  press the terrine in the pan. If using the terrines press, place books or a brick on to weight down.
13. Press until cooled down .
14. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Serve with :

• Crusty bread
• Wine
• Cheese
• Gherkins
• Pickled Vegetables
• Mustard
• Fruits
• Crackers
• On a bed of lettuce

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