flipTerrine de campagne au genièvre
Terrine de campagne au genièvre
Why this dish? Country pâté is among the preferred foods cited for Danton (pâtés, meats). Pressed and preserved under its fat, the terrine could keep for days: ideal food for a man caught up in Convention sessions, who ate his meal between speeches at the Cordeliers Club.
A mixture of minced pork, seasoned with aromatics and juniper, slow-cooked in a terrine and pressed. Served cold, it is sliced into generous mouthfuls on bread — a snack that keeps and travels.
Citizen, when sessions drag on and the fatherland cannot wait, there is no time to sit down to table! So I have a good terrine prepared, well packed, which keeps for days under its fat. A knife cut, a loaf of bread, a dab of mustard, and you are satisfied without leaving the task. Chop the meat coarsely, don't skimp on pepper and juniper, and let it rest overnight in the cool before tasting. It is the fare of busy men and great appetites!
- •Pork meat (belly and lean) — two-thirds lean, one-third fat (base)
- •Pork liver — a piece (binder and flavor)
- •Shallots and garlic — a few (flavor)
- •Juniper berries — a good pinch (aromatic signature)
- •Champagne wine or eau-de-vie — a glass (marinade)
- •Lard barding fat — enough to line (protection and fat)
- •Salt, pepper, quatre-épices — to taste (seasoning)
Terrine de campagne au genièvre
A mixture of minced pork, seasoned with aromatics and juniper, slow-cooked in a terrine and pressed. Served cold, it is sliced into generous mouthfuls on bread — a snack that keeps and travels.
Why this dish? Country pâté is among the preferred foods cited for Danton (pâtés, meats). Pressed and preserved under its fat, the terrine could keep for days: ideal food for a man caught up in Convention sessions, who ate his meal between speeches at the Cordeliers Club.
Citizen, when sessions drag on and the fatherland cannot wait, there is no time to sit down to table! So I have a good terrine prepared, well packed, which keeps for days under its fat. A knife cut, a loaf of bread, a dab of mustard, and you are satisfied without leaving the task. Chop the meat coarsely, don't skimp on pepper and juniper, and let it rest overnight in the cool before tasting. It is the fare of busy men and great appetites!
Ingredients (period version)
- Pork meat (belly and lean) — two-thirds lean, one-third fat (base)
- Pork liver — a piece (binder and flavor)
- Shallots and garlic — a few (flavor)
- Juniper berries — a good pinch (aromatic signature)
- Champagne wine or eau-de-vie — a glass (marinade)
- Lard barding fat — enough to line (protection and fat)
- Salt, pepper, quatre-épices — to taste (seasoning)
Ingredients
- Pork shoulder — 500 g (lean)
- Pork belly (fat) — 300 g (fat)
- Pork or chicken liver — 200 g (binder and flavor)
- Shallots — 3 (flavor)
- Garlic — 2 cloves (flavor)
- Crushed juniper berries — 1 teaspoon (aromatic signature)
- Champagne wine (or cognac) — 5 cl (marinade)
- Thin lard barding — 200 g (lining)
- Salt — 16 g (seasoning and preservation)
- Pepper + quatre-épices — 2 g + 1 pinch (seasoning)
- Egg — 1 (binder)
Method
- Coarsely chop the meats and liver (by knife or coarse grinder). Mix in chopped shallots and garlic.
- Season with salt, pepper, quatre-épices, crushed juniper, moisten with Champagne wine. Let marinate for 2 hours in the refrigerator.
- Incorporate the egg and mix firmly.
- Line a terrine with lard, pack in the stuffing, fold the lard over the top.
- Cook in a bain-marie at 160°C for about 1 hour 30 minutes (internal temperature 70°C).
- Place a weight on the warm terrine to press it, then refrigerate for at least 24 hours.
- Serve cold, sliced thick, with cornichons, mustard, and country bread.
How it was made : Before canned preserves (invented around 1795 by Nicolas Appert, also a Champenois!), meats were preserved in terrines under a layer of fat that isolated them from the air. Well packed and kept cool, a terrine easily lasted a week.
The contemporary twist : Pour a little Champagne jelly over the cooled terrine and present it in individual jars, as a “conventionnel's ration.”
Danton · Charactorium
