TERRINE OF SQUAB, foie gras and artichoke
MARINATED SQUAB BREASTS
8 x 500 g (18 oz) squab
salt and freshly ground pepper
50 ml (1¾ fl oz) non-scented cooking oil
100 g (3½ oz) unsalted butter
¼ cup thyme
300 ml (10 fl oz) Game Bird Marinade, kept warm
MARINATED FOIE GRAS
1 x 500 g (18 oz) cooked foie gras*
430 ml (15 fl oz) Foie Gras Marinade
CONFIT SQUAB LEGS
100 g (3½ oz) Aromatic Confit Salt
1 litre (2¼ pints) duck fat
4 cloves garlic, roughly crushed
3 sprigs thyme
1 bay leaf
TERRINE
24 Confit Globe Artichokes, cut into 1 cm (½ in) slices
500 ml (18 fl oz) Game Jelly
fleur de sel
freshly ground white pepper
This is a fairly complex recipe to prepare but is worth it for the striking end result. It is visually very pretty and full of rich, buttery flavours that are beautifully cut by the tangy pickled artichokes. The breasts and the legs of the squab are prepared separately and you can use the carcasses to prepare the game jelly.
TO PREPARE THE SQUAB, bring them to room temperature and preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F). Remove the legs, wings and undercarriage from the squab, leaving the breasts attached to the remaining carcass: this is what’s known as the crown. Remove the heads, necks, throat sacks and wishbones. Chop the wings and undercarriage into small pieces and set to one side for the game stock. Reserve the legs for the confit.
Season the squab crowns well all over. Select a large baking tray that will comfortably accommodate all of them. Heat over a medium-high heat then add the oil. Place the squab in the tray then add the butter and heat to a nutbrown foam. Turn the squab around in the pan until golden and caramelised, which will take 6–8 minutes.
Sit the birds upright in the pan and transfer to the oven. Roast for 2 minutes then remove from the oven and place the birds on their backs on a cooling rack. Tuck the thyme into the cavities then pour in all the pan juices. Leave in a warm place to rest for 6 minutes.
Use a very sharp knife to slice the breasts away from the carcasses, remove the skin and trim away any sinews. Slice all the breasts horizontally so you have a total of 32 flat halves. Place them in a large dish and pour on the warm game bird marinade. Use your hands to work this thoroughly into the meat. Cover with cling film and refrigerate for 6 hours to marinate.
TO PREPARE THE FOIE GRAS, use a very sharp knife dipped in hot water to slice the foie gras lengthwise into long thin slices – about the same thickness as the pigeon breast pieces.
Place them in a large dish and pour over the warm foie gras marinade. Cover with cling film and leave to steam for about 20 minutes. Transfer to the refrigerator and marinate for 6 hours.
TO CONFIT THE SQUAB LEGS, sprinkle half the aromatic salt onto a large shallow dish and place the squab legs on top. Sprinkle over the rest of the salt then cover tightly with cling film and refrigerate for an hour.
Preheat your oven to 110°C (225°F). Wash away the salt and pat the legs thoroughly dry. Melt the rendered duck fat in a large ovenproof dish. Add the garlic, thyme and bay leaf then add the squab legs, making sure they are completely submerged in the fat. Cover with a piece of greaseproof paper cut to the size of the dish. Cook in the oven for 2 hours until the meat is very tender and comes away from the bone. Drain the legs in a colander and when cool enough to handle remove the meat and shred into small pieces. Set aside until required. continued ...
TO ASSEMBLE THE TERRINE, lightly grease a standard loaf or brioche tin and doubleline it with cling film, leaving a generous overhang. Bring all the terrine ingredients to room temperature and arrange as follows: divide the marinated squab breast pieces into 2 piles of 16; divide the marinated foie gras slices into 2 piles; divide the confit leg meat into 3 even piles and divide the artichoke slices into 2 piles.
Build the terrine in layers, starting with the confit leg meat, followed by a layer of pickled artichokes, a layer of foie gras and a layer of squab breast pieces. Season each layer with salt and pepper and drizzle with the game jelly as you go. Repeat the sequence of layers, ending with a layer of confit leg meat. Fold the cling film over the top and weight down with a 2 kg (4 lb 4 oz) weight. Refrigerate overnight.
TO SERVE, remove the terrine from the refrigerator, unwrap it and cut into 12 slices while still cold and firm. Bring to room temperature before serving.
Serves 12 as an entrée
*Note: Raw foie gras is not available in Australia, but you can purchase good quality poached (mi-cuit) foie gras from specialist food stores. Try to buy it in lobes if you can. Pâté de foie gras is quite different and should not be substituted in this recipe.