game terrine

we spent new year’s eve with friends and shared the cooking. dom started us off with an amazing game terrine, made from a variety of game. some of this - pheasant, goose, teal and woodcock - she was given by neighbours in her village but she sourced the rabbit herself, learning the art of ferreting to catch them. true dedication and embracing of the country way of living! 

here’s how she made it, in her own words:

"game terrine - maybe not an everyday dish, and i'm guessing much cheaper to make out in the sticks than in the city, but a lovely way to use the furred and feathered byproducts of country pursuits...

very simple to make. my recipe was somewhere between hugh fearnley-whittingstall's and that used by my lovely neighbour who has been making game terrine for years. i lined a loaf tin with smoked streaky bacon (smoothed out and flattened with the blade of a knife), and inside, layered part-cooked lean game meat - pheasant and rabbit are ideal - (lightly cooked very, very gently in the oven in red wine and a bit of olive oil), with a food-processed mixture of sausagemeat, the livers of the game (or chicken livers would be good), breadcrumbs, egg, salt and pepper, crushed juniper berries, the red wine from cooking the game, and a good slosh of brandy. then folded the ends of the bacon over and covered the whole thing with foil. cooked it at 150 c for 1.5 hours in a hot water bath, then pressed it overnight as it cooled, with a house brick wrapped in foil. by morning it was ready to slice and serve with toast and homemade chutney. and if abby said it was good then i'm very proud of myself!"