Chef Hamersley's terrine will be the star of your table, with its eye-catching colors and layers of glorious ingredients. It requires careful preparation, but it can be made a day in advance, refrigerated, and then served at room temperature.
1 10-ounce bag fresh spinach, washed and stemmed, to line the mold
½ pound penne or ziti
½ pound raw foie gras, duck pâté, or cooked foie gras product
Kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
½ cup Armagnac (or substitute Cognac)
1 medium red onion, diced (about 1 cup)
3 leeks, white part and a bit of tender green, trimmed, washed, and diced (about 3½ cups)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
2 cups duck stock (available frozen at gourmet or specialty stores), or substitute chicken stock or canned low-sodium chicken broth
2 envelopes unflavored gelatin
1½ to 2 cups (⅓ to ½ pound) crumbled goat cheese
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and blanch the spinach until still bright green, about 5 seconds. Remove and place in a bowl of ice water. Once it is cold, drain and pat out some of the liquid. Do not squeeze, or the leaves will lose their shape.
Line a 1½-quart mold with plastic wrap, leaving a 4-inch overhang on all sides. Line the mold with the blanched spinach leaves: use the big leaves first and place them shiny side down and vein side up on the bottom and up the sides, leaving about a ½-inch overhang. Try to keep the lining one layer thick, but you may patch any holes or tears with the smaller leaves. Reserve any remaining spinach leaves for the top.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat and cook the pasta until al dente, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain and reserve.
Rinse the foie gras and pat dry. Using a small sharp knife, trim away large veins and membranes. Slice approximately ¾ inch thick. Season the slices lightly with salt and pepper.
In a sauté pan over medium-high heat, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil until hot, add the uncooked foie gras slices, and sear for 15 to 20 seconds on each side; be careful not to overcook and melt the foie gras. Remove and reserve in a bowl. Pour the Armagnac into the pan and reduce by three fourths, scraping up all the bits of cooked foie gras from the bottom, about 10 minutes. Pour the reduced Armagnac over the foie gras slices. (If you use pâté or cooked foie gras, do not cook it. Place the slices in a bowl and pour the reduced Armagnac over them.)
In another sauté pan, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion and leeks and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 15 minutes. Stir in the thyme and remove from the heat. Season with salt and pepper.
In a small saucepan over medium heat, warm the duck stock; add the gelatin, and stir to dissolve. Keep warm over low heat.
Layer half the ingredients in the mold in this order: pasta, foie gras, onion-leek mixture, and goat cheese. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and a few spoonfuls of stock, pressing down with a spatula so the stock fills up the pasta tubes. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.
Fold the overhanging spinach leaves over the top, or cover with a layer of spinach leaves shiny side up, and wrap the whole terrine in plastic wrap. Place on a plate and weight with heavy cans. Refrigerate 8 to 12 hours.
Remove the plastic wrap, run the blade of a thin, flexible knife around the inside of the mold, and invert the terrine onto a platter. Cut the terrine into ½-inch slices.