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Summer Vegetable Terrine


KatieLoeb

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I'd like to cook some sort of veggie terrine to accompany a wine tasting on Wednesday evening. My cohort is bringing a gigantic cassoulet, so there's already something heavy. Ideally, I'd like to make something layered that will be colorful and attractive when I finally unmold and slice it. I have at my disposal:

Eggplants - both white and variegated purple

Peppers - red and green bells and a single small but deadly habanero

tomatoes - a huge assortment of heirlooms of every color

Vidalia onions

zucchini - both yellow and green

Portobello mushroom caps (about 10 large)

I cant figure out if I should layer the veggies raw, and then roast the terrine, or roast the veggies first, sliced lengthwise, and then layer them. Not sure if the tomatoes are a good or bad idea because of the moisture content. I don't know if I want to pour a vegetable stock with gelatin in between the cracks and chill it, or just weigh it down with a couple of bricks and call it a day. There's pesto in the fridge too, so that could be incorporated into the aspic or perhaps brushed lightly onto the layers as this is being built. Fresh basil leaves too, if needed.

If anyone has a foolproof method or recipe for something like this, or could post a link to a good recipe I'd be most appreciative. We'll be drinking lots of old Bordeaux to accompany. :smile:

Katie M. Loeb
Booze Muse, Spiritual Advisor

Author: Shake, Stir, Pour:Fresh Homegrown Cocktails

Cheers!
Bartendrix,Intoxicologist, Beverage Consultant, Philadelphia, PA
Captain Liberty of the Good Varietals, Aphrodite of Alcohol

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Adam:

Thank you for the suggestion. Actually, I like the idea of using maybe some tomato juice or V-8 along with veggie stock and maybe a little pesto to create the aspic. But I definitely don't have tons of time to be hanging pureed tomatoes and waiting for tomato water! I'd like this to be as simple as possible other than the slicing, dicing and assembly. I have time to cook tonight, tomorrow night and Tuesday AM before I have to be back at work or elsewhere. The tasting is Wednesday evening, so even though I have Wednesday AM and afternoon free, this would need to be done before then to have time to set. That's why I was thinking a terrine would be a good idea because it's better after it sits a day or so.

The other thing I failed to mention is that I have a meat loaf pan with a perforated insert that drains. If I coated the insides of that insert with enough oil or cooking spray, I suspect I could get the veggie loaf to drain a lot of excess liquid and that might not be a bad thing. Rather than lining with plastic wrap, but having it be all watery when I unwrap it. I just don't know. I've never made one of these before. I'm a little lost, but I suspect there's probably a bunch of different ways this could work or be prepared.

Other ideas? Anyone??

Edited by KatieLoeb (log)

Katie M. Loeb
Booze Muse, Spiritual Advisor

Author: Shake, Stir, Pour:Fresh Homegrown Cocktails

Cheers!
Bartendrix,Intoxicologist, Beverage Consultant, Philadelphia, PA
Captain Liberty of the Good Varietals, Aphrodite of Alcohol

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Regarding the pressed loaf without gelatin, you can add a layer(s) of something like goat cheese to lighten the dish. Using thin slices of eggplant around the loaf and pressing it is a good idea so that it so that it holds together. I usually pre-cook the veg, drain them separately and wrap in cling film, then press.

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Yeah. That's more like what I was thinking about if I were to do a cooked then layered type dish. I've found several recipes that call for layers of goat cheese or cheam cheese. I was thinking I could maybe cream together some light cream cheese (I'd rather save my calories for what's in the stemware :biggrin:) and goat cheese, flavor it with herbs or some of the pesto I have saved, and put a layer of that in there somewhere. Line the mold with plastic wrap, start and end with the eggplant to hold it all together, add layers of cheese mixture and then the other vegetables that were sliced longwise then roasted. A few layers of the cheese mixture for color and textural lightness could be really good.

What do you think of a parsley sauce on the side? Basically pureed parsley, balsamic, EVOO, garlic and water that's been pressed through a sieve after pureeing. I found a recipe for this as an accompaniment to an eggplant, roasted pepper and goat cheese terrine. It sounds as if it might be quite tasty. I could put it in a squeeze bottle and decorate the plate with it before serving, or for the guests to put a squeeze on their plates.

Katie M. Loeb
Booze Muse, Spiritual Advisor

Author: Shake, Stir, Pour:Fresh Homegrown Cocktails

Cheers!
Bartendrix,Intoxicologist, Beverage Consultant, Philadelphia, PA
Captain Liberty of the Good Varietals, Aphrodite of Alcohol

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Check out the grilled vegetable terrine from "The Soul of a Chef" by Michael Ruhlman. The recipe is from Brian Polcyn and is really nice. You grill slices of many vegetables and make a balsamic vin that you've added some bloomed gelatin to - brushing the grilled veggies with this as you layer them in a terrine lined with plastic wrap. Wrap it tightly and chill overnight. Slices beautifully and they stay together. You can arrange them on a platter and drizzle some non-gelatin balsamic vin on top. Or your parsley sauce would be nice as well.

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