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This is one of the many food items I made out of the gizzards and hearts and liver and legs from my New Orleans duck hunt. It is called a terrine, a Wild Duck Terrine.

A terrine is a piece of architecture which takes several days of work. There are many components that go into it and a bit of “pre-cooking” that needs to be done.

I think the results are worth it. But you will need the following things:

1. Patience

2. Fortitude

3. A terrine mold

4. Patience

The whole idea here is that the ingredients are pressed together and once cooled, the duck fat and other components keep it all together.

There are also some fun games you can play with terrines. For example, I got fancy and rolled an “inlay” of figs and pancetta and placed it in the middle, so that each slice has a center of fig.

There are also pistachios in there. And a healthy dose of duck fat.

Amen.

Here is one way to serve it. Simply on its cutting board with toasted bread on the side. (Excuse the strange lighting I was at a deer camp and you can’t be picky there with your lighting set up).

Cutting it is tricky, but you can do it. Use a serrated knife while it is very cold. Then let it sit out to get to room temperature. It tastes better once the fat has had a chance to melt a bit.

Give it a try sometime!

“Duck Terrine”

Prep Time10 hours
Cook Time14 hours
Total Time1 day
Servings: 1 terrine

Ingredients

For the Filling:

  • 2 cups duck confit at room temperature (if you don't already know how to confit, recipe is coming soon)
  • 1 cup duck necks gizzards, hearts, livers, at room temperature
  • 1 cup braised hog belly picked apart (if you don't already know how to braise, recipe is coming soon)
  • ½ cup bacon small dice
  • ½ cup Sicilian Pistachios toasted and salted
  • 1 cup duck fat warmed
  • 1 teaspoon finely ground allspice
  • ½ teaspoon black peppercorns coarsely ground
  • ½ nub nutmeg grated

For the Inlay:

  • 1 tablespoon Earl Grey tea steeped in 2 cups water until strong but not bitter
  • 3 tablespoons Armagnac
  • ¼ teaspoon Kosher salt
  • ½ cup dried figs about 16, stems and bases cut off
  • 8-10 thin slices of pancetta

Instructions

For inlay:

  • Combine the Earl Grey, Armagnac and salt, and pour over the figs. Let macerate overnight.
  • Lay out thin pieces of pancetta in a line on a sheet of plastic wrap.
  • Drain figs and lay them on top of the pancetta so that the flat sides fit snugly side by side.
  • Roll into long rods so that the pancetta is sealed around the figs, using the plastic to help keep it tight. Lay it in the center of the terrine. The pancetta fat will stay together best if it is at room temperature.

For the Filling:

  • Combine the duck confit and duck parts with the hog belly and bacon.
  • Add the pistachios, duck fat, allspice, pepper, and nutmeg. When pressing your hand into the mixture, the duck fat should come up a bit between your fingers.
  • Add a few drops of water to the bottom off the terrine mold. Line it with plastic wrap lengthwise so that there is plastic draping over both ends of the mold. Fill the mold with water to help press the plastic into the contours of the mold, and press with your fingers. Pour out the water and pat the inside dry with paper towel.
  • Press half of the meat mixture into the mold.
  • Unroll inlay and press gently into the center of the terrine. You may have to trim the inlay to fit the mold.
  • Gently place more of the meat mixture on each side of the inlay, making sure the inlay does not become off-centered.
  • Add more meat on the top and press down gently onto the meat until the top is covered and smooth and compact.
  • Cover terrine and place in a warm water bath halfway up the sides of the mold. Bake at 300 degrees F for about 2 hours.
  • Remove the terrine form the hot water bath and let it cool slightly. Press terrine down and place in the refrigerator overnight.
  • When ready to serve use a serrated knife and gently cut terrine into slices ½ inch thick. Garnish with micro greens and sea salt if needed.

9 Comments

  • Heather
    Posted December 15, 2010 at 10:34 am

    this looks beautiful and absolutely divine!

  • Julia
    Posted December 15, 2010 at 10:57 am

    That is one gorgeous and sumptuous terrine! You really got me with the Earl Grey tea. Nice touch!

  • Jone
    Posted December 16, 2010 at 10:07 am

    Oh wow, I can almost taste this!

  • Steve B
    Posted December 16, 2010 at 10:08 am

    I've always been a bit scared of terrines, they seem so complicated. But I think I will give it a whirl. Why not!

  • Emily
    Posted December 16, 2010 at 10:08 am

    You had me at the Armagnac! Oh and how I love a fig!

  • Oliver K.
    Posted December 16, 2010 at 11:20 am

    Looks really good. Now I have to find a terrine mold.

  • Rachel
    Posted December 29, 2010 at 8:12 am

    I usually put all of my "nasty bits" into stock, but you can only make so much. This is such a great (and far more exciting) alternative! Thank you so much for sharing!

  • John
    Posted December 18, 2015 at 10:35 am

    so, we’ve got a mess of mallards and are going to make this recipe starting tomorrow to confit legs and gizzards. I’m pretty comfortable with all the steps Except the necks. Unsure how these are supposed to be used. I’ve found any number of ways to prep duck necks on the Net. Cooking “stalk” to get meat or removing stalk and using skin and fat being the two best candidates. recipe is unclear – could mean just COARSELY chop up stalk and put in bones and all for some crunch in the final product. any direction will be appreciated. tia

    • Georgia Pellegrini
      Posted December 23, 2015 at 9:31 am

      John, the meat will come off the neck easily once it has been cooked in the fat. You won’t want to keep the bones in for the final terrine. Happy Cooking!

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