Rustic French Meatloaf Terrine



After showing my collection of antique French pate terrines on my Kitchen Tour post, someone emailed me and asked why have I never made a terrine before?

Ok, ok. So I will, and I did.

I found a simple recipe in the back of Gourmet magazine, more like a French meatloaf, using pork, veal and chicken livers. I loved the addition of prunes and pistachios, because they just go so well in a good terrine.

And......I decided to use one of my antique pate terrines, and not be afraid of breaking it. After all, that is what their use was meant for.



I made 2 terrines, one wrapped in bacon, the other as the recipe stated.

They came out more like meatloaf than liver pate/terrine. I hardly tasted the liver, which was disappointing, though this was an excellent meatloaf recipe if you want to try something different.



It was best served cold the next day on a baguette w/ Dijon mustard.

Rustic French Meatloaf Terrine (courtesy of Gourmet magazine)

1 cup fine fresh bread crumbs (preferably from a rustic loaf)
1/2 cup whole milk
3/4 cup finely chopped onion
3 large garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 pound chicken livers, separated into lobes, trimmed, and rinsed
3/4 pound ground pork
3/4 pound ground veal
1/4 cup chopped prunes
1/4 cup shelled pistachios
2 teaspoons thyme leaves
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/3 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley





Preheat oven to 475°F with rack in middle.

Soak bread crumbs in milk in a small bowl.

Cook onion, garlic, and 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper in oil in a small skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Cool slightly.

Purée livers in a blender, then transfer to a large bowl. Add pork, veal, prunes, pistachios, thyme, eggs, bread-crumb mixture, onion mixture, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and gently mix with your hands until just combined.



Transfer meatloaf mixture to an 8 1/2" x 4 1/2" glass loaf pan (make sure it is glass or ceramic).



Bake covered with foil, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into center registers 165°F, 50 to 55 minutes. Let rest 5 minutes. Cover top of meatloaf with parsley before slicing.





Comments

HungryinSW said…
Dear Lord that looks good. Could this also be a delicious replacement for Ambien?
Zesty Cook said…
oh Stacy - this looks amazing! I love the flavor combination
Ulla said…
that looks simply GORGEOUS!
lisaiscooking said…
Wow, great use of your gorgeous terrine!
Foodiewife said…
What a beautiful dish-- literally. So glad that you used the terrine for it's purpose. The combo of ingredients are intriguing (though the liver scares me).

I can visualize this as a sandwich. Great job!
excellent - and days later is the only way to enjoy this -
kat said…
A beautiful dish & a beautiful dish in both senses!
Wow, that terrine makes a beautiful presentation, along with all that crispy bacon!!
LaDue & Crew said…
I'm so happy you used the terrine! I was wondering if you ever would. This looks really delicious!
Bob said…
That looks fantastic. Especially the one wrapped in bacon. ;)
Ciao Chow Linda said…
I love liver so I'm sure I'd love that terrine but not so sure cold. The ceramic terrine dish is really special and like you said, meant to be used.
The Food Hunter said…
Sounds different and sure looks good. I'd try it. I love the dish.
Anonymous said…
That looks great!
I thought your terrine dish was actually a raised crust... the more-than-antique cast-metal spring-form molds that end up with pies that look like architecture. I quite like your playful collection with the protruding rabbit and bird heads.
I just picked up a couple books on pies with some cool picks of those really oldschool pies in fancy molds.
I like your bacon wrapped terrine, it looks delicious. The combo of pistachios and prunes makes me a little teary with happiness
noble pig said…
Now I want a terrine...it looks beautiful in there!
Cate said…
I just finished dinner and now my mouth is watering ...
Melissa said…
It may have been a "not quite" but at least you used the dish! And I bet it would be great the next day, as you indicated.
Culinary Cory said…
Interesting meatloaf recipe. I love the change from the standard blah loaf.
Colloquial Cook said…
I entirely vouch for that delicious terrine! Prunes were a lovely addition and it WAS delicious on the day after with just a piece of bread and a few pickles.
Chef E said…
Wow this looks amazing, can I link it to my Mouthful Monday- Rustic French Meatloaf post on Monday? I want to show you off :)
Sippity Sup said…
I just found this blog thru Chef E at cook appeal! I love it. Great meat loaf. REALLY REALLY Great! GREG
Anonymous said…
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Unknown said…
Hi: I had a meatloaf dish similar to this at the Williamsburg Lodge in Virginia. They however pureed the prunes and finely chopped the pistachios. Yours looks good. I just made a cajun meatloaf using Paul Prudhomme's recipe. it's also very good.