Terrines are great if you plan something special for your guests but don’t want to spend the whole evening in the kitchen. They can be prepared one or two days before and when the guests arrive, the only thing you need to do is to cut off some slices and finish the other components of your dish. Another great advantage is that they are very versatile. So if there are some leftovers from last nights dinner, you can still use them in combination with other ingredients. Usually terrines are used only as main elements in cold appetizers. This recipe is a nice example for using terrines as accompaniments in warm dishes served as a main course.
Of course you have to place the terrine as the very last element on the plate, because the gelatine instantly starts melting. You could also use agar-agar to make your terrine heat stable if you plan to use it as part of hot dishes only. I prefer gelatine because of its texture, it melts more smoothly. To this main course I also added some charred spring onions. Charring spring onions completely changes their flavor. While they can be pretty hot and pungent when eaten raw, during heating they completely loose this feature. Heating can be also achieved by simply cooking or sautéing them in foaming butter. Grilling adds those small charred spots where the scallions actually caramelize and develop a wonderful rich flavor.
For the terrine itself you can find the recipe in my previous post: Apricot and Bell Pepper Terrine recipe.
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Lovely!! I love how you combine different elements on this dish.
Apricot and bell pepper tarrine is sure flavorful and seems to goes well with pork and lentils…
Thank you! Apricot, especially dried ones are not so unusual with lentils – and they pair really well with pork too. Every dish needs a fruity component, though bell peppers or tomatoes can play this role too.
Robert, I do agree that nearly every dish needs some fruity component, although many people would deny that. I am on vacation now and am thinking/planning a menu for 10.12. Will send you some ideas as soon as it is structured somehow. Till soon
Yana
Some people strongly believe that fruits belong to sweet dishes and vegetables to salty dishes only. I prefer not to tell my guests what is in the dessert and let them rather guess. This way they concentrate more on the flavor, aroma and texture of the food they are eating – and they are quite surprised if I tell them, that they were just eating e.g. asparagus or sweet corn ice cream.
I’m looking forward to your ideas for your menu. 10th December? You have plenty of time 😉