Terrine in French is a jellied dish. It’s usually made of meat or seafood but today I made it exclusively vegetarian as an opportunity to experiment with the Redwood Hill Farm and Green Valley Organics products I recently received. Several of the people in my family are lactose-intolerant, so the combination of goat dairy products from Redwood Hill Farm and lactose-free cow dairy products is a real blessing. But the kefir, sour cream and yogurts are not just serviceable substitutions; these are some of the best dairy products I’ve ever used.
I created 3 layers respectively made with black beans and raw goat milk feta cheese, artichoke pesto; and sun-dried tomatoes and goat milk Cheddar cheese. I used agar agar, a seaweed substitute for gelatin, so the terrine would keep its shape together. To complete the dish, I drizzled it with tamarind chutney.
1. Info for Vegetarian Terrine Recipe
- Cook Time: 50 min
- Total Time: 1 hr 30 min
- Servings: 10
- Calories: 180 kcal
2. Ingredients for Vegetarian Terrine Recipe
- ¼ cup canned black beans, drained and coarsely chopped
- 2 tablespoons raw milk feta, finely diced
- 1-½ cups marinated artichoke hearts, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons pine nuts, slightly toasted
- 1 lemon, zested and freshly squeezed
- 1 clove pickled garlic (or fresh garlic), finely minced
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 8 ounces lactose free sour cream
- 3 tablespoons goat milk Cheddar cheese, finely diced
- ½ cup julienne-cut sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil, finely chopped
- 1 (0.88-ounce) package agar agar powder
- 3-3/4 cups cold water
- 3-¼ cups lactose-free kefir
- 1-½ teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon white pepper, freshly ground
- 4 tablespoons fresh dill, for garnish
3. Directions:
- Making artichoke pesto: Place the artichokes, pine nuts, lemon juice and garlic in a food processor. Pulse until it forms a paste. Slowly add the remaining olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
- Prepping the jellied vegetarian terrine: Dissolve the agar agar in water. Pour the agar agar liquid into a sauce pan. Heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Bring to a boil, then immediately lower to medium. Keep stirring for an even, smooth texture. Immediately add the agar agar liquid to the kefir. Stir well. Add sour cream. Season with salt and pepper. Work fast and move immediately to the next step; otherwise the mixture might set in the pan. Brush a 9-inch round cake pan with cold water and line with plastic wrap for easy un-molding. Pour a ladleful of the goat milk mixture into the mold. Add the raw milk feta and black beans. Cover with another ladleful of the goat milk mixture. Let the first layer set for about 2-3 minutes, then add the artichoke pesto and pour in another ladleful of the goat milk mixture. When the top is a little sticky to the touch but the liquid hasn’t reached a gel consistency, repeat the same procedure with the sun-dried tomatoes, lemon zest and goat milk Cheddar cheese. Cover with more goat milk mixture. It’s important that you wait enough time in between each layer so that the layers bind together without mixing with each other. Let the vegetarian terrine set at room temperature until it’s completely cool. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 4-5 hours, preferably overnight. When you’re ready to serve, gently un-mold the terrine by running a knife around the inner wall of the mold. Flip the mold onto a round platter and gently remove the plastic liner. When you’re ready to serve, cut into wedges using a sharp knife.
- Serve chilled. Garnish with a thin slice of cheese (I used a vegetable peeler), a little fresh dill and a drizzle of tamarind chutney.
- Bon appétit!
