Terrine of My Dreams

I must have gone to bed hungry last night because I dreamed of variations on chicken liver pate all night long. In one "episode" of the dream, I made a pate that didn't use livers at all. After I awoke, I thought a no-liver-chicken-liver pate was such a great idea, that I should definitely make one for dinner.

My dream hardly presented a novel culinary idea: what I was dreaming up already exists and is often called a terrine. When you get right down to it, terrine is French for "meatloaf". I know the term meatloaf hardly sounds glamorous or gourmet, but when they are done beautifully and inventively, they are really a savory delicacy, absolutely lovely served cold and on crackers.

And with the warm weather today, a cold dinner of appetizer fare, including my dreamed-up terrine, sounded perfect. So I set about making this recipe I had dreamed up. I had no idea how my terrine would really turn out. Of course, I thought it would be pretty good...and probably somewhat different from a creamy chicken-liver pate...but beyond that, I was taking a shot in the dark.

The resulting terrine was very light--in color, flavor, and texture. I would classify the terrine as a delicate item, but it was strangely addictive, and mi esposo, who usually looks askance at such experiments kept refilling crackers with my new concoction instead of telling me he ate a late lunch and he'd try some another time. The two of us actually put a huge dent in that terrine. I think this chicken terrine would be really great as a light lunch, over some tender lettuces and drizzled with some balsamic or even a fruit vinaigrette. So, here is the recipe, seized from my sleepy subconscious:

LIGHT CHICKEN TERRINE

-4 chicken thighs, skin and bones removed
-1 small shallot
-1 clove of garlic
-1 t salt
-1 egg white
-1/8 C brandy
-1/2 stick of butter, softened slightly
-1/4 C half and half
-1/2 red pepper, roasted and diced
-2 t fresh, finely minced rosemary
-3 T roasted sunflower seeds
-Balsamic vinegar, for serving

Preheat oven to 325.

Run the raw chicken thighs, shallot, garlic and salt through a food processor until it looks like ground meat. Add egg white, brandy, and butter and process until well combined. Scrape down the sides of the processor with a rubber spatula, add half and half, and process until incorporated. Now it should look like a mousse or a pudding. If it doesn't, add another tablespoon or two of half and half. Add the red pepper, herbs, and sunflower seeds and just pulse carefully, on and off, until it is just mixed through...try not to crush this stuff.

Take a small, shallow baking pan (approx. 5" x 8"...you can use a terrine pan or loafdish, but it will take a bit longer to cook....) and line it with plastic wrap, allowing long "tails" to hang outside of the pan. Pour the mixture into the pan, and fold the plastic wrap over the top. Now cover the pan with foil, making sure no plastic wrap is exposed. Put the small baking pan into a larger one with a small amount of water in the bottom of the pan. You will be baking the terrine in a shallow "bath" so it doesn't dry out.

Bake approx. 40- 45 minutes. Deeper terrine pans/loaf dishes will probably take closer to 1 hour to cook through. "Done" is 165 on your meat thermometer or opaquely white throughout...no weird pink tones.

After baking, remove the pan from the bath, carefully remove the foil, and put the pan in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight to cool and set. (I cheated and put it in the freezer for a half an hour, but if you forget about it there, you'll ruin it). When set, the terrine is easily lifted onto a serving platter.

Before serving, drizzle with balsamic vinegar and serve with a rich cracker or melba toast.