CHRISTMAS TERRINE

- METHOD -

Place two bay leaves in the bottom of a rectangular oven-proof terrine dish – we used a terrine dish 22cm (l) x 11cm (w) x 7cm (d) for this and it’s perfect for this amount of filling. Gently run the back of a large chef’s knife lengthwise over the strips of bacon to stretch and lengthen them.

Line the terrine with the strips of bacon, slightly overlapping them so the coverage is complete. Squeeze the pork banger sausages out of their casings and mix the banger meat with the rest of the ingredients – hands work best here! Spoon the mix into the bacon-lined terrine. Fold the ends of the bacon over the filling so you end up with a neat parcel. Cover terrine with tinfoil and place the terrine in a large roasting dish. Add 4cm of water to the roasting dish to create a bain marie. Place it in a 140 ˚C oven for 2 hours. Remove to cool and, once it’s at room temperature, place in the fridge.

Make this terrine two days ahead of time. Not only does it take the pressure off Christmas entertaining (and the annoyance out of load shedding on the day!), it also allows the flavours to develop and mature wonderfully. To remove the terrine, simply run a thin knife down the sides of the terrine dish to loosen it, turn it over onto a large plate and it will pop right out. There will be some jelly and congealed fat clinging to the outside of the paté when you remove it from the terrine. This is normal, simply wipe it off so your paté is neat and pretty. Glam it up by topping it with some sage leaves, edible flowers and pomegranate rubies.

(Cook’s tip: This terrine freezes well. So if there are leftovers, slice chunky 5cm blocks of terrine and seal them in freezer bags. Defrost in the fridge and you’ll never know it was frozen!)

Recipe concept & photography by Lizet Hartley.

Lizet Hartley is a freelance stills and reel food stylist, food photographer and recipe developer. In her spare time she – rather predictably – cooks. Get more of her recipes on her blog at http://www.melkkos-merlot.co.za