Chicken Terrine

Garnish with fresh parsley and thyme, and serve with toasted French bread.

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

1/4 pound chicken livers
3 tablespoons Cognac
1 2 1/2 pound chicken
1 each, carrot and celery stalk, roughly sliced
1 onion, quartered
1 bay leaf
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 onion, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons finely snipped fresh chives
2 teaspoons fresh thyme
1 cup heavy cream
Fresh parsley and thyme for garnish

Method

  1. Line an oiled 5-6 cup mold with plastic wrap, or 6-8 individual dishes.
  2. Trim waste off livers and soak them for at least 4 hours in Cognac.
  3. In a 4-quart saucepan, place chicken, onion, celery, carrot and bay leaf. Cover with cold water, bring to a boil and simmer gently until just cooked through (about 40 minutes). Remove and cool.
  4. Drain livers. Heat butter in a 12-inch saute pan and add the 2nd onion. Saute until onion is translucent. Add livers and cook gently through. Don't overcook!
  5. Puree the livers and onion in a food processor fitted with the metal blade until mixture is very smooth. Remove to a bowl and cool.
  6. Remove the chicken meat from the bones. Discard skin and other waste. Chop the meat very finely by hand so the meat will be diced and not appear "chewed" as it often does in a grinder or food processor.
  7. Add chicken to the liver mixture. Add the fresh herbs. Chill well.
  8. Whip cream until stiff peaks form. (If the chicken isn't cold enough, place the bowl over a bowl of ice water and stir the mixture constantly until it gets very cold. If it becomes too stiff, remove from the ice bowl at once.)
  9. Carefully fold in the whipped cream. Add sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Spoon the mixture into the mold(s) and refrigerate for anywhere from 2 hours to 2 days.
  10. To serve: Place a serving plate on top the mold and turn it upside down to remove the terrine. Gently peel away the plastic wrap.

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