Pork Cassis Terrine Twist
By Emma
Certified Culinary Professional
•
Recipe tested & approved
Pork chunks with liver, garlic, and onion cooked with rum. Ground with juniper, black pepper, salt. Cassis liqueur and dried currants added. Egg binds. Pressed in loaf pan with bay leaf. Cooked in water bath until 72°C. Cooled, chilled 10+ hours. Served sliced with mustard and pickles. Makes 10 portions. Rich, berry aroma, gamey notes. Uses shoulder and skirt pork. Different dried berry and oil for slight variations.
Prep:
50 min
Cook:
Total:
Servings:
10 servings
#French
#pork
#terrine
#gamey
#charcuterie
#slow cooked
#water bath
#dried fruit
#liver
#cassis
Chunks of pork shoulder and skirt cut up. Liver minced fine. Garlic and onion sautéed in olive oil, rum to lift off. Peppercorns crushed whole, juniper berries broken down with salt. Blackcurrant liqueur in. Dried berries chopped chunky for texture. Egg binds it all. Pressed with bay leaf on top. Let rest overnight. Water bath cooks gently. Temperature crucial. Cool, firm up in fridge before slicing. Tastes wild, blackberry notes with gamey pork. Bring Dijon mustard and tart pickles. Bread, crust or light rye, for dunking. Holds firm in fridge, easy lunch slice or starter. Different cuts change texture, liver makes bold. Blackcurrants swirl flavor. No gluten, dairy-free punch. Rich, rustic French terrine without frills.
Ingredients
- 1 small onion chopped
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 10 ml olive oil
- 25 ml dark rum
- 200 g pork skirt cut into cubes
- 250 g pork shoulder boneless cubed
- 120 g pork liver chopped
- 3 ml black peppercorns
- 4 dried juniper berries
- 6 ml sea salt
- 25 ml blackcurrant liqueur
- 20 ml dried blackcurrants chopped roughly
- 1 egg lightly beaten
- 1 bay leaf
About the ingredients
Use dark rum, best quality short aged type. Olive oil lends fruitiness instead of butter. Pork shoulder has fat and flesh balance while skirt meat adds texture. Liver chopped by hand keeps pieces visible, not pureed smooth. Blackcurrant liqueur adds dark fruit character; without it, hide bittersweet cassis flavor lost. Dried blackcurrants optional but add chew, substitute with dried blueberries for subtly different taste. Salt precise: don’t overdo or it’ll overpower natural flavors. Pepper and juniper cracked fresh for aromatic freshness. Egg binds to hold shape but avoid overmixing to prevent tough texture. Bay leaf on top releases herbal scents during cook. Loaf pan size matters — too big, meat spreads thin and dries. Plastic wrap pressed directly prevents crust forming and tough edges while chilling.
Method
- Heat oil in pan medium heat. Add onion and garlic. Cook till lightly browned. Pour in rum. Let it reduce almost dry. Cool down.
- Fit meat grinder with large hole plate. Put large bowl underneath. Grind skirt and shoulder pork cubes in batches.
- Finely chop liver with sharp knife. Mix into ground pork in bowl.
- Crush peppercorns and juniper with salt using mortar and pestle till powder. Stir into meat along with cassis liqueur, dried blackcurrants, egg and cooled onion mix. Mix vigorously but not overwork.
- Take 700 ml loaf pan. Put meat in three layers, pressing each down firmly to remove air. Smooth top. Lay bay leaf on surface. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap directly on top. Chill minimum 7 hours or overnight.
- Preheat oven to 175°C. Set rack center.
- Remove plastic wrap. Place loaf pan into deep baking dish. Pour boiling water around pan to halfway up sides.
- Bake about 1 hour 5 minutes or until internal temp reaches 72°C. Remove from water bath. Let cool on rack. Cover and refrigerate at least 10 hours.
- Slice terrine thick. Serve cold with Dijon mustard, vinegar pickles, crusty bread.
- Keep chilled wrapped in plastic up to 7 days.
Cooking tips
Begin with sauteed aromatics to soften bite of raw onion and garlic. Rum deglaze extracts sticky browned bits for depth. Coarse grind of meat keeps texture from becoming paste-like. Liver chopped finely by knife prevents overpowering. Combine spices with salt first to evenly season meats. Mix in dried currants last; avoid too much stirring to keep fruit intact. Pack terrine in layers firmly to eliminate air pockets which cause crumbling. Chill minimum 7 hours to let flavors meld, ideally overnight. Baking in water bath ensures slow even heat, prevents cracking or drying out. Insert thermometer mid-bake for accurate doneness—72°C signals safe cooked meat without dryness. Cooling on rack avoids condensation beneath terrine. Re-chill to firm slices. Serve cold, garnished with mustard and pickles to cut richness. Store wrapped tightly to preserve moisture and deter fridge odors. Slice thickness matters — thinner slices taste milder and less crumbly. Timing flexible by few minutes depending on oven variability.
Chef's notes
- 💡 Onion and garlic sauté first in olive oil over medium heat until just browned. Avoid burning to keep bitterness low. Add rum last to deglaze pan, reduce almost dry to concentrate flavors but not caramelize too hard. Cool completely before mixing into meat. Warm mix will kill bind from egg and change texture.
- 💡 Grind skirt and shoulder pork using a large-holed plate for meaty, slightly coarse texture. Liver should remain finely chopped by hand, no pureeing. Keeps texture visible and prevents liver from overwhelming. Mixing spices with salt first spreads even flavor across meat and avoids salty bursts. Fold in dried currants slowly; crushing berries ruins chewiness.
- 💡 Press meat firmly in three layers inside a 700 ml loaf pan. Avoid air pockets which cause crumbles. Smooth surface so bay leaf sits flush, releases aroma during baking. Wrap plastic wrap tight directly on surface to prevent crust forming and drying edges. Chill at least 7 hours or overnight to meld flavors before cooking.
- 💡 Water bath is crucial—set loaf pan inside larger dish, pour boiling water halfway up sides. This cooks terrine gently, prevents cracking and drying out. Insert thermometer mid-bake aiming for 72°C internal temp. Oven temp 175°C steady heat. Cooling on rack stops condensation under terrine, avoiding soggy bottom. Refrigerate 10+ hours to firm, making thick slicing possible.
- 💡 Serve thick sliced, cold. Dijon mustard and vinegar pickles cut through fattiness and gamey meat. Crusty or rye bread adds crunch and soak-up for juices. Store wrapped tightly in plastic for up to 7 days. Keeps moisture, stops fridge aromas infusion. Slice thickness affects texture—thinner slices milder, less crumbly; thicker slices hold shape better but more intense flavor.
Common questions
Can I substitute dried blackcurrants?
Blueberries work but change slightly flavor. Currants add chew texture, sweetness slightly bitter. Skipping dried berries means less chew, less fruity hit. Use sparingly - big berry chunks can disrupt terrine structure or moisture levels.
Why is water bath necessary?
Slow heat transfer stops drying and cracking. Oven dry heat alone would cook exterior faster, inside stays undercooked - risk grainy crust and leak juices. Water bath evens temp, steady gentle cook. Important for texture and to hit 72°C safely without overcooking.
How to avoid tough texture?
Don’t overmix after adding egg; binds protein but too much mixing tightens meat, toughens slice. Meat ground coarse limits paste effect. Liver chopped finely but not pureed adding pockets of softness. Salt level precise so no dryness or overly salty bites. Rest overnight chills firm but keeps moisture.
How to store leftovers?
Wrap tightly with plastic on surface and store in fridge up to 7 days. Keeps moisture, deters odors. Freeze not recommended; texture changes and berries mush. Re-slice cold to maintain firm shape. Let sit few minutes after fridge to soften fats slightly but serve chilled for best bite.
