Terrine de Lièvre

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •1¼-quart (1.2 L) lidded terrine or 8½ by 4½-inch loaf pan
• •Deep roasting pan for the bain-marie
• •Food processor or meat grinder
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Long thin skewer
• •Small pressing board and 1 to 2 lb (450 to 900 g) weight

Instructions

1. 1

   Chill meat and tools

   Put the cubed hare, pork shoulder, fatback, liver, egg, food-processor bowl, and blade into the cold for at least 30 minutes. Keep the saddle fillets separate and cold. Forcemeat binds when its fat stays firm; if the cubes feel greasy or pliable, chill them again before grinding.

   Have the butcher bone the hare and reserve the two saddle fillets whole. Ask for the leg and shoulder trimmings separately, and inspect wild meat carefully for shot and bone fragments.
2. 2

   Work the forcemeat

   Pulse the cold hare trimmings, pork shoulder, fatback, and liver in short batches until finely chopped. Add the egg, 1¾ teaspoons of the salt, and ¾ teaspoon of the pepper, then process only until the mixture becomes tacky and holds a ridge when lifted with a spoon. It should be cohesive, not puréed. If a greasy film appears around the blade, stop immediately and chill the mixture for 20 minutes. Ça se rattrape. Fry a teaspoonful in a small pan, let it cool briefly, and taste; cold food mutes seasoning, so the sample should taste a shade bolder than the finished terrine seems to require.

3. 3

   Line the terrine

   Heat the oven to 325°F (165°C). Line a 1¼-quart (1.2 L) lidded terrine with the thin bacon slices, overlapping them slightly and leaving enough hanging over the sides to fold across the top. Reserve one broad slice for the final cover. Press the bacon neatly into the corners, because gaps here become exposed, dry patches after baking.

4. 4

   Build alternating layers

   Spread one third of the forcemeat firmly across the base, pressing out every pocket of air. Add half the bacon strips and one third of the truffle slices. Cover with another third of the forcemeat, then lay in the two hare fillets lengthwise, trimming only if necessary to make them fit. Season the fillets with the remaining salt and pepper, tuck another third of the truffles around them, and cover with the remaining forcemeat, bacon strips, and truffles. Pack each layer closely but do not crush it; trapped air gives grey holes and ragged slices, so pierce any visible pocket with a skewer and press the meat back together.

5. 5

   Seal and season

   Fold the overhanging bacon across the forcemeat and cover the centre with the reserved slice. Mix the powdered thyme, powdered bay, and quatre-épices, then sprinkle that mixture over the centre of the bacon exactly where its perfume can pass down through the terrine. Fit the lid, or cover a loaf pan tightly with a double layer of foil.

6. 6

   Bake in bain-marie

   Set the covered terrine in a deep roasting pan and pour in enough boiling water to reach halfway up its sides. This bain-marie, the water bath, gives the forcemeat the gentle heat it needs to set without turning dry and grainy. Bake for 1 hour 30 minutes, then uncover and inspect the fat rising at the centre. It must run clear rather than cloudy, and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the middle must register at least 160°F (71°C). If the fat remains turbid or the centre is cooler, replace the lid and continue in 10-minute intervals. Do not raise the oven to hurry it; more heat tightens the meat before the middle is ready.

7. 7

   Add aspic and press

   Lift the terrine from the bain-marie and let it stand for about 25 minutes, until just tepid but not cold. Pour the fluid aspic slowly around the inner edges, pausing as it settles into the spaces left by cooking. If the aspic pools on top, slide a thin skewer down beside the meat to open two or three channels, then pour again. Cover the surface with parchment, set a small board or foil-wrapped piece of cardboard on top, and add a light 1 to 2 lb (450 to 900 g) weight. Heavy pressure belongs to a formal unmolded presentation; light pressure gives this terrine close slices without squeezing away its juices.

8. 8

   Chill until firm

   Refrigerate the weighted terrine as soon as it is no longer hot, keeping the total time at room temperature under 2 hours. Chill for at least 12 hours, and preferably a full day. Pressure closes the layers, while the cold sets the fat and aspic into the structure that replaces a pie crust. Cutting early is the one failure that cannot be disguised; the slices will crumble because the terrine has not finished becoming itself.

9. 9

   Trim and serve

   Remove the weight and parchment, then lift away any opaque cap of fat while leaving the clear aspic in place. Trim the surface neatly and cut the terrine directly in its vessel with a long, sharp knife dipped in hot water and wiped dry between slices. Serve the slices cold but not numb, allowing them 10 minutes on the plate so the hare, truffle, and spice open properly. Country bread and cornichons may sit beside it, but the terrine needs no decoration. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Hare is not interchangeable with rabbit without changing the dish. Rabbit produces a paler, gentler terrine; if hare cannot be found, make that cousin honestly and name it terrine de lapin.
• •Jarred whole black truffles are the classical pantry's sound answer when fresh truffles are unavailable. Drain and slice them, but leave truffle-flavoured oil on the shelf; perfume without the truffle itself makes the forcemeat taste hollow.
• •Prepared aspic is a finished component here, just as it was for a staffed larder. Buy a clear, well-seasoned meat aspic from a butcher or prepare it separately, then melt only what the terrine will accept.
• •For the full formal presentation, the pressed terrine may be unmolded, trimmed, reset in fresh aspic, and bordered with croûtons. In this context croûtons means shaped pieces of set jelly, not fried bread. The ceremony changes the presentation, not the terrine.
• •The source also describes sealing the terrine with lard for longer keeping. In a home kitchen, lard is not permission for pantry storage. Keep the finished terrine covered below 40°F (4°C) and eat it within 4 days.
• •Pour a mature red Burgundy or a firm Loire Cabernet Franc. The wine needs enough freshness to meet the hare and bacon, but no heavy sweetness against the truffle.

Advance Preparation

• •Ask the butcher to bone the hare, reserve the saddle fillets, and cube the remaining meat a day before assembly. Keep everything tightly covered and very cold.
• •The terrine must be made at least the evening before serving. A full day under light pressure gives cleaner slices and a rounder union of hare, bacon, truffle, and spice.
• •Once fully chilled, keep the terrine covered in its vessel and slice only what you need. The uncut loaf retains its aspic seal and stays in better condition.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 325g)