Zucchini, Mint & Goat Cheese Terrine

 

All Photos © Christine Elise McCarthy 2013

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To see images of my past posts & get links to the recipes – look on my Pinterest board – HERE.

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I am pretty sure this can be made in a traditional loaf pan.  I made it in this wonderful terrine pan that I got for my birthday:

The great thing about it is that the silver pins in two corners pull out & all four sides of the pan can be pulled away.  This makes the contents very easy to remove.  If you made this in a loaf pan – maybe line the pan with greased parchment paper so you have something with which to lift the cooled terrine out.

I made this as an Easter buffet appetizer.  It is easy & can be made a day or two ahead.  People RAVED about this dish – partly because it is tasty & partly because it makes an elegant presentation.  Nobody seemed thrown that the zucchini slices I used on the sides cooked up to look like pickles.  In the future – I will not line the sides with zucchini.  🙂

Mine did not brown evenly, so i arranged fresh mint leaves on top to mask that.

Serve this up with some fresh, crusty bread or crackers and lots & lots of wine!

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Zucchini, Mint & Goat Cheese Terrine

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup mint (plus more for garnish)

2 eggs

4 cloves of garlic

Tabasco to taste

4 oz cream cheese

10 oz goat cheese (this ratio of 4-10 is VERY flexible – feel free to adjust it)

4-6 zucchini

1 tsp each S&P

DIRECTIONS

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease a terrine pan or line a loaf pan with greased parchment paper.

Puree the eggs & mint & garlic in a food processor.  Once the mint and garlic are minced, add the Tabasco (or other hot sauce) and the cheeses and S&P to taste.  Puree.  It should be like a thick pancake batter – but pourable.  Add a tiny bit of water if it is too thick.  Maybe add extra cheese if it seems too thin.

Wrap the terrine pan in foil to prevent leakage & place on a cookie sheet. If using a loaf pan – these things are not necessary.

Slice the zucchini very thin – either lengthwise or in circles – your call.  I did a bit of both.

Pour 1/3 of the cheese into the pan.  Layer some zucchini then another third of the cheese, more zucchini & the last of the cheese.

Bake at 350 for about 40 minutes or until the top looks a light golden.  Remove from the over & cool completely.  Refrigerate overnight, if possible.

Slide a thin blade around the edge of the terrine pan & remove the sides.  Carefully transfer the terrine to a serving platter.  If using a loaf pan – slide your knife between the parchment & the terrine & then lift it out by the paper & transfer onto a platter.

Garnish with extra mint & serve!

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Truffled Celery Root Mixed Grain Risotto Tower with Roasted Beets, Pan-fried Cauliflower & Basil Jus

 

All Photos © Christine Elise McCarthy 2013

Follow @celisemccarthy

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To see images of my past posts & get links to the recipes – look on my Pinterest board – HERE.

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This might look intimidating but it is not.  It just requires a few easy steps.  Most of it could be substituted with other ingredients, too.  For example – hate beets?  Use carrots or corn or sweet potato instead.  Trader Joe’s mixed grain thing not available to you?

Use a regular risotto.  Celery root unavailable or yucky to you?  Make your risotto with whatever ingredients you prefer.  Don’t have fancy food mold ring to create the tower?   Use a bowl or just free form it on the plate for a more rustic presentation.

I loved this dish.  The celery root absolutely held its own despite competing with a lot of other flavors here from white truffle oil to roasted beets & garlic to the fried cauliflower to the basil oil.   This dish was served closer to warm-room temperature than what I would call hot – primarily because there are so many ingredients to time properly – but I liked it just warm.  It might also be served hotter if you don’t spend 15 minutes trying to get the perfect photo of it.

Speaking of which – I am often asked what I use to photograph the food.  The answer?  My iphone 5 and a construction lamp.  See?

That is all I have going on.  I have limited dishware & napkins etc with which to present my recipes and I am beginning to feel my images are starting to look a lot alike but that is just the reality of doing it all DIY on a shoestring budget.  But THIS dish – this will definitely wow folks on any plate.  I hope you try it.

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Truffled Celery Root Mixed Grain Risotto Tower with Roasted Beets, Pan-fried Cauliflower & Basil Jus

INGREDIENTS

For the risotto

1 lb Mixed grains (or risotto or other rice)

1 large celery root – peeled & diced

2 cups milk

1 cup Parmesan – grated

White truffle oil to drizzle – (VERY optional)

For the roasted beet & garlic puree

6 small beets

4 TBS heavy cream

4 cloves garlic

For the pan-fried cauliflower

1 head cauliflower

1-2 TBS olive oil

For the basil jus (basil oil)

1 cup fresh basil

3/4 cup high quality olive oil

DIRECTIONS

For the beet & garlic puree

Halve your beets (or quarter them if the are large) & drizzle them with olive oil.  Toss them with the garlic cloves & roast them & the garlic (add lots of extra garlic so you can have some extra around for future recipes) in a 400 degree oven for 30-45 minutes or until tender.  Check frequently & remove the garlic if it browns quickly & is done before the beets.  When roasted – cool a bit then puree the beets, 4 roasted garlic cloves & the heavy cream in a food processor.  Set aside.

For the basil jus

Plunge the basil in boiling water for 30 seconds.  Plunge it in cold water, drain & squeeze out the water.  Puree the basil with olive oil in a food processor.  Set aside.

For the pan-fried cauliflower

Slice the cauliflower into 3/4 inch steaks.  Heat the olive oil & fry the cauliflower until browned on both sides.

Alternatively – you could roast the cauliflower (tossed in olive oil) in a 400 degree oven for 30 minutes or until it is soft & beginning to brown.  My photo here is of florets roasted in the oven.  The assembled tower images show cauliflower pan-fried as steaks.

For the risotto

I cooked the bag of mixed grains as per the directions.

Bring the milk to a boil, add the diced celery root to the milk, reduce heat & simmer for about 20 minutes or until the celery root is soft.

Blend the celery root, the milk it cooked in & the cheese in a food processor until smooth.  Add to the cooked grains & blend completely.  Drizzle with truffle oil (if using) – sparingly, as it can really overpower the other flavors.

TO ASSEMBLE

I used a food ring like this

and simply put a layer of risotto then beet puree then cauliflower.  I drizzled it with the basil jus & topped it with watercress.  You could build yours backwards in a greased ramekin & flip it or in a bowl & flip it – or just present it in a more casual, rustic, unformed way.

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