Venison Terrine
Submitted by dougc2000
A rustic French-style venison terrine with pork belly, brandy-soaked cranberries, juniper, and gin. Wrapped in bacon and baked in a water bath for a charcuterie board showstopper.
YIELD
6 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
2 hrsREADY
3 daysThis is not a weeknight recipe. This is a project, a labor of love, and the kind of thing that makes people at a dinner party lean in and whisper, “You made this?"
Venison and cured pork belly get marinated for days in brandy, gin, red wine, and crushed juniper berries. The aromatics soak deep into the meat, building a complex, boozy depth that no store-bought pâté can touch.
Chicken livers add that classic silky richness, while brandy-plumped cranberries scatter pops of tart sweetness throughout each slice. The whole thing gets packed into a bacon-lined terrine and slow-baked in a water bath until set.
Slice it cold, serve it on a board with crusty bread, cornichons, and grainy mustard. It only gets better after a day or two in the fridge.
Chef Tips
- The longer you marinate, the better. Two days is the minimum, but a full week in the fridge yields the deepest flavor.
- Don’t rush the meat through the grinder. Forcing it creates a mushy, pasty texture instead of a rustic, coarse one.
- Kneading the mixture with wet hands for a full 5 minutes binds it properly. Skip this and your terrine may crumble when sliced.
- Weight the terrine while it cools to compress the meat into a firm, sliceable block.
Ingredients
Directions
Cut meat into 1 inch cubes.
Sauté shallots and garlic until wilted in a little of the rendered pork fat, let cool.
In a bowl, combine the meats, wine, gin, and ¼ cup brandy with the salt, pepper, juniper and spices.
Cover tightly for at least 2 days (up to 1 week is fine), until the meat has absorbed all the liquid.
Remove the bay leaf.
To reconstitute the dried cranberries, place them in a small pan with ½ cup brandy.
Bring to a boil, turn off the heat, cover the pot, and let them steep until they are soft and all the brandy is absorbed, about ½ hour.
Chop the cranberries coarse.
Grind the meat, being careful not to force the meat through the grinder.
Add the cranberries to the meat mixture after it has been ground.
In a food processor, purée the chicken livers with the eggs.
Strain the mixture and add to the meat mixture.
Vigorously mix and knead the pate mixture with your hands for at least 5 minutes; it will all come together into a mass.
From time to time, wet your fingers with cold water and pat the mixture.
When your hands do not stick, it is ready.
Line a 1½ quart terrine with the bacon slices.
Put the meat into the terrine and pat it well to get out all air pockets and mound the meat about ¼ inch above the top of the pan.
With your finger, make a groove all around the rim of the pan.
Spoon a line of dried thyme down the top of the pate and decorate with the bay leaves.
Fold over the bacon. Cover tightly with foil.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Set the terrine in a roasting pan and pour boiling water to come halfway up the sides of the terrine.
Bake for 2 hours.
When done remove from oven and press the pate to force out the juices.
Weight the pate and let cool. When it cools to room temperature, refrigerate the weighted pate.
The next day, remove the weights and the foil and remove any congealed fat or juices.
Wrap well in plastic wrap or foil.
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