Terrine of Chicken Flavored with Pistachio Nuts, Curry, and Hazelnuts
After a recent trip to France, I told chef Daniel Boulud that I wanted to learn more about charcuterie. He suggested that I spend a day with Sylvain Gasdon, the charcutier at his newly opened Bar Boulud in New York. It turned out that some of the trends I had been noticing in French restaurants were the foundation of the menu at Bar Boulud, featuring charcuterie and lighter terrines. I asked Sylvain, who came from Paris to help Daniel, if he would teach me how to make a terrine, one for those who eschew pork. This is it!
Recipe information
Yield
8 to 10 servings
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees, and grease a 5-by-12-inch porcelain terrine, or equivalent-sized rectangular baking dish, with the vegetable oil.
Step 2
Put the chicken breasts in the dish, and season with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Add chicken broth to cover, as well as the thyme and bay leaves. Cover the dish, and put in the oven for 30 minutes, or until the breasts are almost cooked through. Remove from the broth, reserving it, and carefully cut the breasts horizontally into three or four 1/2-inch-thick wide, flat scaloppini. Lower the oven temperature to 300 degrees. Strain the reserved chicken broth through a cotton kitchen towel; set aside 2 cups, and save the rest for another use.
Step 3
Heat the olive oil in a sauté pan, and sauté the shallots until translucent. Then pour in the balsamic vinegar to deglaze the pan, using a wooden spoon to scrape up any bits that have stuck to the bottom. Season with salt and pepper, and set aside.
Step 4
Put a layer of chicken slices in the bottom of the terrine or baking dish, cutting some slices into pieces to make an even layer. Sprinkle over the top a third of the shallots, a third of the pistachio nuts, a third of the hazelnuts, and 1 teaspoon of the curry powder. Make two more layers like that of the chicken, shallots, nuts, and curry, ending with a fourth layer of chicken.
Step 5
Mix the 2 cups reserved chicken broth with the gelatin. Stir to dissolve, about 2 minutes of stirring. Once dissolved, pour the broth over the layered chicken, up to 1/2 inch from the top of the terrine. Cover with a piece of parchment paper, and place weights on top of the parchment. Put the terrine in a larger baking dish, and pour about 4 cups boiling water all around, to make a bain-marie.
Step 6
Carefully set in the oven and bake for 45 minutes. Cool, and refrigerate, with the weights in place, for 1 day, to allow the gelatin to set.
Step 7
When ready to serve, run a knife around the edges of the terrine to loosen it from the pan, then put a plate over the terrine and flip it over to unmold. Cut into 1/2-inch slices, and serve with slices of the apple on the side. I also like to serve it with lettuce salad tossed with a red-wine vinaigrette.
