Serves 4-6
1x 1 litre terrine mould
300g streaky bacon
1/2 Tbs butter
1 medium onion, diced
400g chicken livers, cleaned
300g pork shoulder, diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
3 tsp fresh thyme leaves
1/2 tsp mixed spice
2 Tbs brandy
1/3 cup cream
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
Salt and black pepper
1/2 cup pistachio nuts, toasted and chopped.
4 bay leaves
1 Preheat oven to 170C. Dice half of the bacon and fry in a hot pan with the butter, remove and set aside.
2 Fry the onion, livers, pork, garlic, thyme and mixed spice in batches, just enough to soften but not colour. The livers should remain raw in the middle. Transfer to a large bowl between batches. Add the brandy to the last batch and flambe (see tip below).
3 Remove livers and chop, then add back to the other ingredients, then process in a food processor. This mixture can be coarse but if you prefer it smooth, press through a sieve.
4 Fold through the cream, stock, egg, nutmeg and seasoning through the mixture.
5 Line the mould with the remaining bacon, allowing it to hang over the edges so it can be folded over the top of the terrine. Spoon in half the filling, top with pistachios then the remainder of the filling. Place the bay leaves on the top and fold the bacon over.
6 Cover with a lid or foil. Place into a baking dish and pour enough water to reach halfway up the sides. Bake for 1 1/4 hours. When you remove the terrine from the oven, place a weight on the top and leave until cold or overnight. Serve with fresh bread and pickles.
Chef's tip
When using chicken livers, you need to make sure they are cleaned. This means cutting off any slightly green tissue, which can give a bitter flavour, and removing the connecting threads. To flambe, which intensifies flavour, lightly heat the alcohol then tip to the side of the pan and ignite. Once the flames have finished, you are ready to go. Make sure the extractor fan is off in case flames are drawn upwards.