2014 Wine and Terrine Event

I never know which forum to post these event notes in, so they are in the wine section and this is a referral to that posting. Have a look - some nice food images!

http://www.wineloverspage.com/forum/village/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=51734

Bill, Thanks for posting here. I look at the wine board only irregularly and I am always happy to read about the terrine competition (though that last fruit-based entry seemed a trifle different).

Do you have any other sensory commentary on the terrines themselves? Too much or too little habanero in its layer? Pate de foie gras is always wonderful or lacks creativity? Red gelee remind you of a kitchen accident? Textures soft or firm? Inquiring minds want to know.


Jeff

The first dish was impeccable - from our Jenise and the balance of flavours and heat was impeccable, no doubt due to experimentation.

The duck and FG terrine had chunks of FG scattered through it and the consistency was good. My double ground terrine results in a denser texture intentionally and I used a little curing salt #1 (which has about 5% sodium nitrite) to preserve the colour - if you don't do that it can darken or go gray on you).

I love a FG tourchon - whole liver poached, usually in Cognac and then chilled. A slice of that (quite fimr when cold) is heaven with a glass of Sauternes. We generally don't do thinsg as simplistic as that, though.

And yes, the final dish was a tad trifling!

[Jenise]

The first dish was impeccable - from our Jenise and the balance of flavours and heat was impeccable, no doubt due to experimentation.

Thank you! And yes, experimentation. I had no recipes; just an idea based largely on the probability that I would arrive home from a long trip away with two days in which to both unpack and simultaneously make something for the terrine dinner--would have no time for a do-over. And individual parfaits had never been done before, so the idea seemed novel. My parfait was originally going to be French/provencal as is my usual bent, but after two weeks on the road wherein a chile relleno burrito in Idaho Falls left me craving Mexican food, it occurred to me that Mexican cuisine was especially ripe with the right kind of flavors. I had blanched and frozen two pounds of fresh/local/wild two months ago, and the first step was figuring out how to make asparagus' distinctive flavor blend into something that would read Mexican for a green layer. So I made two plain bases, one asparagus and the other from fresh scallops, each with sour cream, loaded my counter with other Mexican ingredients and just started testing combinations. Then I started seasoning, building out the complexity. If I had it to do over again, the only thing I'd do different is add a third deep red layer on the bottom and possibly reverse the order of green and white. I had originally wanted the green under the shrimp, but the scallop layer was so much lighter I felt it really needed to go on top, so I bought some watercress microgreens to put a color barrier between the scallop mousse and the shrimp. The pickled corn round from the recipe Jo Ann posted last week was a tasty garnish and fun to talk about.

I'd love to add some commentary on the others: this was a strong year, everybody did well. Bill's duck terrine with that prune-Armagnac layer was one of the best terrines he's ever done, and his garnishes were terrific--the celeriac remoulade in particular. David's vegetable terrine was spectacular. Stunning on the plate as you can see and delicious all by itself, but further to that the wine match with the Tavel was the best pairing of the day. I loved that he managed to build something that had structural integrity and cohese so naturally without the crutch of cheese layers--you couldn't see the glue, which was a red onion mixture. Really fine work. Dave's "bits of foie gras and pork" seriously understates the magnificence of both the ingredients and his management of them. And as if life couldn't get better, he fresh-toasted slices of brioche----and buttered them with melted bits of foie gras!--to go underneath. The 'blueberry ketchup' on the side was a clever addition for a sweet, winey contrast. The sweetbread and shrimp terrine was possibly my least favorite of the day--tasty but underseasoned and a little overcooked. Or at least, the shrimp were. Bill did a spectacular Tour d'Argent recipe a few years ago with sweetbreads and lobster suspended in a port-laced gelee that combined sweetbreads with seafood to much better advantage.

And alas, there was a sixth terrine that never got served, as it's bringer sadly fell in the driveway on the way in and had to be carted off by ambulance.

The sweetbread and shrimp terrine was possibly my least favorite of the day--tasty but underseasoned and a little overcooked. Or at least, the shrimp were. Bill did a spectacular Tour d'Argent recipe a few years ago with sweetbreads and lobster suspended in a port-laced gelee that combined sweetbreads with seafood to much better advantage.

Sweetbreads are a funny food: as much a texture as a flavor, I think.

And alas, there was a sixth terrine that never got served, as it's bringer sadly fell in the driveway on the way in and had to be carted off by ambulance.

What a terrible ending to this story!

Another great account of the terrine event!

Bill - love the way you plated yours.

Jenise - I wouldn't have thought of putting habaneros with scallops. I'd imagine it was tricky to get enough habanero in there for flavor without the heat getting to be too much for the scallop component, but Bill's comments indicate that you nailed it.

[Jenise]

What a terrible ending to this story!

Really awful--broken hip. He's still in hospital, recovering from surgery.

[Jenise]

Jenise - I wouldn't have thought of putting habaneros with scallops. I'd imagine it was tricky to get enough habanero in there for flavor without the heat getting to be too much for the scallop component, but Bill's comments indicate that you nailed it.

Mike, for the habanero, I used Iguana Gold Golden Habanero sauce, which has tamed the habanero to a manageable level with mango and mustard in the Trinidadian style. It imparted both heat and tang in a good way, and finely chopped cilantro and cumin pretty much completed it. I can't recall if I added anything else.

I thought Iguana Gold was something you smoked......

Jenise - I wouldn't have thought of putting habaneros with scallops. I'd imagine it was tricky to get enough habanero in there for flavor without the heat getting to be too much for the scallop component, but Bill's comments indicate that you nailed it.

Mike, for the habanero, I used Iguana Gold Golden Habanero sauce, which has tamed the habanero to a manageable level with mango and mustard in the Trinidadian style. It imparted both heat and tang in a good way, and finely chopped cilantro and cumin pretty much completed it. I can't recall if I added anything else.

Ah! I bet the mango/mustard elements were nice in there as well. Sounds delicious.

[Jenise]

I thought Iguana Gold was something you smoked......

Or kept in a terrarium.