The total weight of meat is important here, not the selection -- anything you have or want to use is fine. Also, the grind is important: You want it varied, so everything from big chunks of tender stuff to finely ground meat, and everything in between. It makes for a more interesting terrine.
1/2cupdried small berries: lingonberries, blueberries, cranberries, etc(optional)
1/2cupbrandy or whiskey
2slicesbread, crusts removed
3/4cuphalf and half
2eggs, lightly beaten
1tablespoonbutter
1large shallot, minced
3/4poundbacon ends or pork fat
1.6 poundsassorted game meats
30gramskosher salt
3gramscuring salt No. 1
1tablespoonmustard seeds
2teaspoonsfreshly ground black pepper
1teaspoondried thyme
1 or 2teaspoonschopped dried juniper berries(optional)
1/2cupshelled, roasted & salted pistachios
1 poundthinly sliced bacon
Instructions
Start by soaking the dried berries in the brandy. Set that aside while you work. Get a large roasting pan and fill it halfway with water. Set that in the oven and set the oven to 225F.
Wet down the insides of your terrine pan and carefully line it with plastic wrap. Leave enough extra plastic wrap so you can cover the top of the finished terrine later.
Tear the bread into bits and mix with the half-and-half and beaten eggs. Blend or mash this into a cohesive paste. Set it in the fridge.
Saute the shallot in the butter over medium heat until translucent and just beginning to color, about 4 to 6 minutes. Turn off the heat, let it cool a bit, scrape the shallots into a little bowl and set that in the fridge.
Now, the meats. Select some to be in large-ish pieces -- I did this with snipe breasts I pounded thin. Any other small bird breast would be good here -- some to be diced, some to be ground coarse, and some to be ground fine. In this terrine, I left the breasts of 4 snipe whole (so 8 pieces), diced about 1/4 pound grouse breast and another 1/4 pound snipe breast, ground the remaining snipe and grouse coarse, along with half the bacon, and the liver and dove hearts fine, along with the remaining bacon ends.
You want at least 1/4 of the total mixture ground fine. About 1/2 ground coarse, and the rest in chunks or whole.
When you have done this, set it all in the freezer while you clean up.
Get a large bowl and add the egg-bread-cream mixture, the shallots, the meats and the salt, curing salt and spices. Mix this well with your (very clean) hands until it comes together as one mass. Add the brandy and berries and nuts and work them in now, which should take another minute or so. Set all this in the fridge while you clean up and lay down the bacon slices.
Get your thinly sliced bacon out and carefully line the terrine pan in the way you see in the picture above. Lay a slice across the bottom of the pan, roughly halfway across, and drape it over the side. Press gently to make sure the bacon is flat against the terrine pan. Set the next slice going the other way, slightly overlapping the previous slice. Do this until you have the whole pan set up. Take your time, as you need to get the hang of it.
Take your meat mixture and firmly press it into the terrine pan. Do this bit by bit, pressing down to make sure there are no air pockets. Fill the terrine up to the top, or even mound it slightly -- it shrinks as it cooks. Fold the bacon over the meat and close the plastic wrap on the bacon. Put the lid on the terrine pan. Or, if you are using a bread loaf pan, cover it in foil.
Gently set the terrine pan in that roasting pan with water that 's been sitting in your oven since you started. The water should come up to about 2/3 of the way up the sides of the terrine pan. If not, boil some water and add it.
Cook the terrine gently for about 2 hours, 15 minutes, or until the interior reaches about 145F to 150F.
Carefully take the terrine out of the oven. To press, use scissors to cut a piece of cardboard that fits over the top of the terrine -- minus the edges -- and wrap the cardboard in tin foil. Remove the terrine lid and place the foil-wrapped cardboard on top. Set bricks or heavy canned goods on it. Let this come to room temperature.
When cooled, set the terrine in the fridge to chill overnight. To eat, remove the weights and cardboard, then open the plastic wrap. Lift gently on the edges to free the terrine, and carefully pop it out of the pan onto a cutting board. Remove the plastic wrap and slice.
You can store your terrine in its pan in the fridge for a week or so. After that, wrap in plastic wrap and freeze.