[Ricotta Meat Terrine]
I have a file of recipes I’ve clipped out from the numerous cooking magazines I read. When I’m trying to come up with a menu, this is my number one source of inspiration : I like leafing idly through the colorful pieces of paper in all shapes and sizes, I like the patchwork pattern they form, and how as a whole they reflect my cooking tastes and interests.
And somehow, since I often go through that file, I’ve gotten to know it and its contents quite well, and you could say that it has become one of my most trusted cookbooks. It does lack a sturdy binding, but its annoying ability to spill out and scatter all over the couch is certainly part of the charm.
The interesting thing is that many of those clippings have acquired a flavor and a personality of their own. And among these, is the particular group of the almost-made-its, those recipes I have really and sincerely considered making and almost elected numerous times, but that never quite made it into a selection, because something more glamorous or shiny was demanding my immediate attention.
This terrine belongs to that category : it had been in my file for a while, out of a Biba article on “mozzarella, ricotta & co.”. I had often considered it for its appealing concept, but for some reason had never quite gotten to trying it. Until my birthday party that is, when I realized that my menu was dangerously bordering on the vegetarian, and I needed to balance it out with some kind of animal protein, in order to please everyone. I also liked the idea of a terrine, which can and should be made some time ahead, a convenient trait when you’re planning a party.
And the little terrine delivered, I think, and proved worthy of the chance I finally gave it : it was pleasantly moist from the ricotta, tasty from the different kinds of meat and herbs, and well-seasoned, which is always a challenge with terrines as you can’t very well taste the raw mixture. It also lent itself nicely to being cut in cute little cubes and passed around to the hungry crowd.