Wild Duck Terrine
Photo by Holly A. Heyser
Making a terrine is not as hard as you might think, although you do need some equipment. Why bother in the first place? Because they are the pinnacle of ground meat dishes, and can include all kinds of interesting bits inside — like the seared duck breast I put into the middle of this one.
A terrine is essentially a pate with something inside it. Either way, it is a rich, smooth mixture of meat and fat and spices that you eat either cool or warm. It is as good as a sandwich filling as it is seared briefly and served by itself.
Terrines and pates last a while, too. Most will keep in the fridge for up to 2 weeks, which is good — terrines are very rich, so a little goes a long way.
duck terrine
What you need to make a terrine is a meat grinder (or have your butcher grind your ducks for you) and a food processor. You do not need a special terrine pan, although it helps. You could use a rectangular loaf pan instead. You will also need to cut a piece of cardboard the size of the inside of your pan and cover it with foil. You will use this to weigh down you terrine after cooking.
Which ducks to use? Divers and sea ducks are ideal for this, as you skin them and remove the fat. Snow geese are perfect here, too. But really any wild — or domestic — duck or goose will work well in this recipe. I have to thank Michael Ruhlman and Brian Polcyn’s Charcuterie for the proportions in this recipe.
Keep in mind a terrine or pate needs to chill overnight before you eat it.This is reflected in the prep time listed.
Serves 10-12.
Prep Time: 24 hours
Cook Time: 80 minutes
- 1 duck breast from a mallard, pintail or other large duck
- 1 pound duck meat or goose meat
- 10 ounces pork fat
- 1 tablespoon duck fat
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 minced shallot
- 2/3 cup medium sherry (Amontillado or Dry Sack)
- 1/3 cup Calvados or other apple brandy
- 1/4 cup milk
- 2 slices bread, crusts removed
- 2 teaspoons black pepper
- 2 teaspoons quatre epices (or Chinese five-spice powder)
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh sage
- 3 grams (1/2 teaspoon) Instacure No. 1 (optional)
- 1 1/2 tablespoons Kosher salt
- Freeze all your grinder and food processor blades, and put the bowls you will use in the fridge.
- Slice your duck meat (not the breast) and pork fat into chunks of about 1-2 inches — small enough to fit into your grinder — and mix well with the Instacure, the salt, black pepper and quatre epices and set in a bowl in the fridge, or, if it is warm out, the freezer.
- Tear the bread into pieces and jam it into a coffee mug or some other cup. Pour the milk over it and set the cup in the fridge.
- Get the duck fat hot in a pan and pat the duck breast dry with a paper towel. Sear the duck breast over medium-high heat. You want a serious sear fast, so you get a crust but the inside is still raw. This should take 2-3 minutes per side, depending on the thickness of the breast.
- Remove the duck breast and set it aside, and turn the heat down to medium. Add the shallot and saute for 1 minute, then add the garlic. saute this, stirring often, until it begins to brown. You don’t want a lot of color, just a little.
- Add the brandy and sherry to the pan and turn the heat to high. Boil this down by half, then turn off the heat. Pour the mixture into a bowl and, when it stops steaming, set it into the freezer to chill fast.
- Put the duck breast into the fridge as well.
- Meanwhile, grind the sliced duck meat and pork through the fine die on your grinder into one of the bowls you put in the fridge. Once it is ground, return it to the refrigerator and clean up the grinder.
- Wait until the sherry-brandy-shallot mixture is at least room temperature before proceeding.
- While you are waiting, wet the inside of a a terrine pan or loaf pan with water, then line it with plastic wrap. Leave a long end of wrap outside the pan so you can use it to cover the pan afterwards.
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees, and find a large roasting pan — the kind you do the Thanksgiving turkey in.
- Get your food processor ready; do NOT use a blender here, as it will not work. Working quickly, put the meat, shallot-brandy mixture, minced sage, and bread-milk mixture into the food processor and pulse it until it is a smooth paste. It took me about 12 pulses to get there. Don’t over work the mixture, or it can break and it’ll be cat food.
- Thwack down the paste into the terrine using a rubber spatula. Lay down enough to go about halfway. Smooth it out, then lay in the seared duck breast halves, end to end. If they are too wide, trim them. Press them into the paste.
- Thwack down the rest of the forcemeat and smooth it out. Cover with the plastic wrap and then with a layer of foil, or with the lid to the terrine pan.
- Put the pan into the roaster, then fill the roaster up about halfway with the hottest tap water your tap will produce. Gently put this in the oven and cook for 1 hour and 20 minutes.
- Remove and set the terrine pan onto a cutting board or other heat-proof place. Take the foil or lid off and put the cardboard top on it. Weigh down the top with cans or a brick. Let this cool.
- Once it is room temperature, put the whole thing, weights and all, into the fridge overnight. To eat, slice thickly and serve with mustard and a green salad.
