Rabbit Terrine - Chef Recipe by Mark Best

Ingredients

"This recipe was adapted from a recipe by the great Gaston Len.tre, one of France's
greatest patissiers and chef–entrepeneur founder of the restaurant, catering, retail and
cooking school empire, LeN.tre. M. Len.tre took the savoir-faire of French country
cooking and turned it into high-art retail. This recipe eschews the fancy retail garnish
of high street Paris and strips it back to its peasant heart, the Sauternes the only thing
perhaps belying its origin." ~ Mark Best.

1 x 1.5 kg (3 lb 5 oz) rabbit,including heart, liver and kidneys
200 g (7 oz) chicken livers
700 g (1 lb 9 oz) skinless, bonelesschicken thighs, diced
800 g (1 lb 12 oz) diced porkshoulder
400 g (14 oz) diced pork back fat
2 celery stalks
2 eggs
200 g (7 oz/2 cups) rolled (porridge) oats
300 ml (10 fl oz) Sauternes
120 g (4 1/2 oz) wholegrain mustard
1 bunch of tarragon, chopped
25 g (1 oz) salt
2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp freshly ground coriander seeds
1 tsp freshly ground white pepper
Cornichons to serve (optional)

Method

Debone the rabbit and chop it into even-sized pieces.

Put the rabbit, including its heart, liver and kidneys, the chicken livers, thigh meat, pork shoulder, pork back fat and celery through a coarse mincer (grinder).

Put the minced meat and celery in a bowl and add the eggs, oats, Sauternes, mustard, tarragon, salt and spices and mix thoroughly with your hands.

Layer a traditional ceramic terrine mould (with a lid) with two layers of plastic wrap, making sure the wrap overhangs on all sides.

Put the mixture in the mould – you should have enough to protrude above the top by 1 cm ( ½ in) or so. Wrap the terrine tightly in the overhanging plastic wrap and put the lid on. Allow to rest for 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 160°C (320°F).

Place the terrine in a bain-marie (water bath) so the water comes halfway up the sides of the terrine. Cook for 1 hour 20 minutes with the lid on, until the terrine
reaches a core temperature of 68°C (154°F).

When cooked, refrigerate for 24 hours with a 750 g (1 lb 11 oz) weight directly on top of the pate. Serve at 10–14°C (50–57°F) with the cornichons, if desired.

Credits: This is an edited extract from Best Kitchen Basics by Mark Best published by Hardie Grant Books RRP 59.95 and is available in stores nationally.

Photo Credits: Photography by Petrina Tinslay. This is an edited extract from Best Kitchen Basics by Mark Best published by Hardie Grant Books RRP 59.95 and is available in stores nationally.