So this is the second terrine that I have ever made. The first was just about a year ago for Thanksgiving and it was a duck confit and wild mushroom terrine. What turned out last year was somewhat dry and simply a little odd. It needed a sauce and some more soul to the dish. Unfortunately at the time I could offer neither. It was truly a sad affair. What that offers one year later is a great platform to make something exceptional.
First, I have to say that this would not have been possible without the help of the book Charcuterie by Michael Ruhlman and Brian Polcyn. This is not a paid advertisement for this book (I don’t do those for anything) but I’ll tell you what- this is one incredible book. There is an entire chapter devoted to terrine which goes into an deep dive on the subject of terrine and pâté. Many of the variations didn’t really sound appealing to me, so I went online to look for a rabbit terrine recipe. Many that I found online seemed like they had some really overpowering ingredients to them- so I figured that I would make one up and simply use the technique from Ruhlman’s book to make a mousseline style terrine.
Okay- so what is a mousseline style terrine? It’s simply a terrine that is made using cream and egg white as the binder. It seemed to me to be the easiest means to nice terrine, so this is the path that I followed. It is really pretty easy to make. One note to keep in mind about this terrine is that you will need to marinate your rabbit overnight or for at least 12 hours. The terrine itself will take about 45 minutes to an hour to make, needs to cook for about an hour and then cool for several hours before being refrigerated. This is not a quick fix meal. Also, I chose to make a rabbit demi glace to use with the sauce, but it is not necessary.
Makes one delicious terrine with some rabbit and mushroom sauce.
Ingredients to prepare the rabbit:
1 whole or broken down rabbit. If you are getting a rabbit butchered, ask for the loins to remain intact.
1 leek, white part only, cleaned and chopped
2-3 sprigs of fresh rosemary
1 bay leaf
3 cloves garlic, chopped roughly
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt & Fresh Cracked Pepper
Remove the meat from the rabbit. This may take a little while since the meat has a lot of sinew. It doesn’t need to look nice because it is going to be minced anyhow. Be sure to keep the loins intact.
Mix all the ingredients but the rabbit together in a bowl large enough to fit the ingredients and the rabbit. Add in a pinch of salt and pepper. Add in the rabbit, mix around lightly and cover with the ingredients. Wrap the bowl with plastic wrap and put in the fridge for a minimum of 12 hours, preferably 24 hours.
Ingredients for the Rabbit Stock (if making)
Bones from 1 rabbit (or more if you have them)
1 onion, peeled and quartered
2 carrots, chopped
1 celery stalk, rinsed and chopped
5 sprigs fresh parsley
1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
1/4 cup dry vermouth
1 bay leaf
Put the bones on a baking sheet and toss into a 375 degree oven for about an hour. Rotate once or twice during the cooking for even browning. When they are brown, place in a stock pot and cover with 8 cups of water. Bring to a boil and skim off and discard any foam or other stuff that floats to the surface. Add 4 more cups of water and all remaining ingredients. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 3 hours.
Strain the stock through a fine mesh sieve that is lined with damp cheese cloth. The cheese cloth will prevent the cooked vegetables from being pressed through the sieve. Cool to room temperature, cover and refrigerate. Skim off any fat. At this point, you can reduce to a demi glace by placing the stock in a wide pan and reducing for an additional hour until it has lost approximately 75% of its volume. Cool to room temperature and store in the fridge until needed or freeze for up to 4 months.
Ingredients for the Rabbit & Wild Mushroom Terrine:
1 marinated rabbit, loins set aside and remaining meat roughly minced. Discard all marinade.
1/3 lb pork belly- roughly minced with the skin removed
1 shallot, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
12 ounces sliced mushrooms- shitake or baby bella will work
25-30 thin slices of pancetta
1 large egg white
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
Salt & Fresh Cracked Pepper
Ingredients for the Rabbit Reduction Sauce
1/2 cup rabbit demi glace or 1 cup rabbit stock
4 ounces royal trumpet mushrooms (or white mushrooms) diced fine
1/2 tablespoon butter for the mushrooms
2 tablespoons butter, room temperature
2 tablespoons flour
So we are going to need to preheat the oven to 300 degrees. While that is heating, take the bowl and blades for the food processor and place in the freezer. We need to keep the temperature of the ingredients as chilled as possible. Leave the pork belly and rabbit in the fridge or place in the freezer temporarily while we work on the loins and mushrooms.
In a medium sized skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the butter over medium-high heat. Take the loins and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. When the pan is hot, add the loins and brown on each side for about 35 seconds. They will shrink considerably while browning- that is ok. When they are browned, put on a plate and place in the freezer.
Add in the second tablespoon of butter. Toss the sliced mushrooms into the hot pan and sautee. Add a pinch of salt and cook until soft. Move to a plate, spread into a thin layer and toss in the freezer.
Pancetta provides the perfect wrapping for this terrine. Photo by Scott Groth
While everything is cooling, let’s line the terrine with the pancetta. Start at the bottom and lay the pancetta into the terrine, overlapping as you go. Work your way up the sides. When you get near the top, add one more layer that will hang over the sides. We will fold this on top of the terrine after it is filled. This is also a good time to find a pan large enough to hold the terrine as a bain marie while it cooks. I used a loaf pan as shown in the picture. If you have a teapot, fill it now and heat over high heat. You will need the hot water soon.
Terrine in the bain marie. No water added until in the oven. Photo by Scott Groth
Take the food processor bowl and blades out of the freezer. Assemble the processor and put the minced rabbit, pork belly, garlic, shallot and egg white into the bowl. Puree. While the machine is running, add the cream in a slow, steady stream. Add in a pinch of salt and a couple grinds of pepper. It should look like a thick paste which is called a forcemeat.
Take the mushrooms out of the freezer and fold into the forcemeat. Fill the pancetta lined terrine about 1/2 way with the forcemeat. Take the browned loins from the freezer and place into the terrine, pressing down slightly to make sure they are level. Fill the terrine with the remaining rabbit mixture. Fold the pancetta over the top. Place the top of the cooking vessel on the terrine. Move the terrine and the bain marie into the oven. Fill the bain marie with the hot water from the teapot until the level reaches about 3/4 of the way up the terrine.
Close the oven and bake for about an hour. After an hour, remove the terrine carefully and check the temperature with an instant read thermometer. The interior temperature should be 140 degrees. When it has reached 140 degrees, it is done cooking. Congratulations, you have just made a delicious terrine. Allow the terrine to cool in the vessel for several hours. It should be compressed while cooling as well- my terrine came with a plate to set on top. I place about 4-5 cans of soup on the plate to compress the terrine. When it has completely cooled, remove the cans and the plate, cover and chill in the refrigerator for several hours.
Four or five cans on the plate are used to compress the terrine. Photo by Scott Groth
When it is getting close to the time to serve, it’s time to get the sauce moving. Add the butter for the mushrooms over high heat to a skillet. Add the mushrooms and a pinch of salt. Cook until softened and move the mushrooms to a plate. Set aside. If you are using a rabbit stock, add to the pan and reduce until it begins to thicken. If you are using a rabbit demi glace, add to the pan and heat. While they are reducing or heating, mix the room temp butter and flour together. When the stock or demi are ready, add in the butter and flour mixture. Mix well and cook for 3-4 minutes. The sauce should be thick enough to coat the back side of a spoon. Add in the cooked mushrooms and stir. Taste and adjust seasoning.
So, there you have it. A rabbit and wild mushroom terrine that is really terrific. You can serve this cold or at room temperature- whatever your preference might be. To remove the terrine, simply run the bottom of the vessel under hot water for about 30 seconds. It will then release easily from the pan. Place on a cutting board and slice with a sharp knife. Plate and drizzle the sauce over or around the terrine. The pan seared loin in the center is just like finding a little piece of treasure in this awesome dish. Enjoy!
Rabbit terrine with a wild mushroom pan sauce. Photo by Scott Groth