When I was in our local trade suppliers, my eye happened to fall on some shoulder of red deer (cerf we call it here) from Poland being sold at a more than reasonable price. So I cleaned up a pound or so, (bit niffy) and made an experimental batch of terrine for a snack last night. It was good enough for me to decide to make the rest into tins to give to our B&B guests next year.
So- this is the recipe.
Venison Terrine
3.2 kg venison; small cubes
3.2 kg fatty pork; small cubes
1.6 kg smoked streaky bacon; 5x5x50mm strips
500 g pistachio nuts; coarsely chopped
25 g juniper berries; coarsely ground
7 tablespoon mixed peppercorns; ground with
2 1/3 tablespoons dried thyme; and
7 tablespoon nitrited salt (0.6%)
1 litre dry white wine
You will also need 35 280 g tins
(1st attempt:- used 3 kg belly, weighed prepared plus 600 g gorge. )
Method
First of all, place the cubed venison and pork in a large bowl. Grind the
juniper berries, place them in a smaller bowl. Grind the salt, pepper and
thyme together. Add to the juniper and mix thoroughly. Now sprinkle this
over the venison and pork, and mix thoroughly. Pour over the wine and
allow to marinate 8 hours or overnight
Once marinating is finished, mince the meats, return to the bowl, and add
the bacon matchsticks and the chopped pistachio nuts. Mix gently but
thoroughly with a large cook's fork. Take a patty, fry it and check the
seasoning. Add whatever is needed (needed none). Pack into tins, seal
down and sterilise as usual. 1h30 to come to the boil, 2 hours once boiling.
Remove and label.
Recipe: loosely based on Delia Smith's Winter Collection
Yield: 35 280g tins
Notes. "Gorge" is throat meat, which is about 70% fat. The pork belly was fairly lean, with perhaps 20% fat. So as the venison was totally lean, the total weight of fat was 600g from the belly and 420g from the throat. Call it 1 kg in a total weight of 6.4 kg or around 15% which what I aim for in a terrine to avoid it being too dry.
