Ingredients
- 400g pork belly, minced
- 400g pork shoulder, minced
- 250g chicken livers, trimmed of fat and roughly chopped
- 6 pitted prunes, roughly chopped
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- 2 tsp quatre-epices*
- 5 tbsp brandy
- 10-12 thinly sliced rashers of streaky bacon
- 1 tbsp oil plus a little for greasing
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 200ml (¾ cup) red wine
- 1 tbsp duck or bacon fat, diced
- ½ cup shelled walnuts
- * Make quatre-epices by mixing 2½ tbsp white pepper, 2½ tsp ground nutmeg, ½ tsp ground cloves and 2 tsp ground ginger. Keep for making terrines and pates.
Method
Combine belly and shoulder mince in a bowl with chicken livers, prunes, spices and brandy and marinate, covered, in the refrigerator for at least two hours and up to 12 hours. Grease a 20-centimetre terrine mould or loaf tin and line with a piece of baking paper, which should come up over the long sides of the tin by about five centimetres.
Line crossways with bacon, overlapping each piece slightly. Preheat fan-forced oven to 180C (200C regular) and fill a roasting tray two-thirds with water to make a bain-marie. Meanwhile, heat oil in a frying pan over a medium heat, add onion and cook until softened, then add wine and reduce over a low heat until sticky and jammy, about five minutes. Add the duck or bacon fat, walnuts and cooled onion to the pork mixture, mix well to combine. Fill mould with terrine mix, pushing it right into the corners.It should be slightly overfilled and domed, like a loaf of bread. Bring the bacon ends over the top and press down.
Bake in the bain-marie for 45 minutes, then remove from oven to test. It should feel firm when pressed gently in the middle. Cook for another five minutes to 10 minutes if needed. Cool with a weight on top of the terrine to flatten it — a chopping board with a few cans on top, for example.
Chill for several hours, then remove weights and refrigerate for another 12-24 hours before serving. Carefully turn out and slice, then serve a slice to share with cornichons and crusty bread.
* Make quatre-epices by mixing 2½ tbsp white pepper, 2½ tsp ground nutmeg, ½ tsp ground cloves and 2 tsp ground ginger. Keep for making terrines and pates.
