GATHER JOURNAL

Photograph by Will Anderson Food Styling by Maggie Ruggiero Prop Styling by Theo Vamvounakis
    

Wild Garden Terrine

Starters from Issue 7 – Summer 2015 – Spectrum

The beauty of a terrine is unveiled with the first slice, the moment of its exquisitely layered interior’s big reveal. Ours, a mélange of colorful vegetables suspended in a tunnel of ghostly white that, if you squint just so, looks almost Miró-esque, continues to evolve with every serving.

serves 8 to 10



  • 4 or 5 small purple potatoes, peeled
  • 8 shiitake mushrooms, stems removed
  • 1 leek, white and pale green parts only, trimmed to length of pan
  • 4 or 5 medium rainbow carrots, peeled and trimmed
  • 9 asparagus, trimmed
  • 8 pieces canned baby corn
  • 4 small precooked baby beets, drained and patted dry
  • ¼ cup heavy cream
  • 1 (¼ oz) package unflavored gelatin
  • 1 lb fresh goat cheese, at room temperature
  • extra virgin olive oil for drizzling
  • chives, finely chopped, for sprinkling

  • 1

    Place potatoes in a small pot with enough lightly salted water to cover. Bring to a simmer and cook just until potatoes are tender, 12 to 16 minutes. Meanwhile, blanch the vegetables in another pot of boiling salted water just until tender; 1 minute for mushrooms, 4 to 5 for carrots, 6 to 8 for leek, and 3 to 4 for asparagus. Transfer the potatoes and vegetables as cooked to ice water to chill briefly. (No need to blanch the corn or beets.) Pat the vegetables dry.
  • 2

    Very lightly oil a loaf pan and then line with plastic wrap smoothing out as many wrinkles as you can and leaving any overhang on the long sides.
  • 3

    Put 3 Tbsp water in a small saucepan and sprinkle evenly with gelatin. Let stand 3 to 4 minutes to soften. Add cream and heat gently over medium heat, bringing just to a simmer, stirring to dissolve gelatin. Transfer to a bowl and whisk in goat cheese, and a rounded ½ tsp black pepper.
  • 4

    Spread about ⅓ cup of cheese mixture on the bottom of the pan. Reserve ¼ cup for dolloping over the top. Layer in vegetables randomly, spooning in a dab of cheese here and there to act as mortar when terrine is pressed. Dollop with reserved cheese. Fold the plastic over and weight with another pan or something that fits inside to press everything together. Chill 8 hours or overnight before slicing. Let it sit 30 minutes at room temp before serving. Drizzle with oil and sprinkle with chives.