TERRINE DE POIREAUX

Terrine de Poireaux image

Categories Bread Side Bake Lunch Leek Spring Boil

Yield 8 to 10 servings

Number Of Ingredients 11

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Ingredients

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for greasing
3 or 4 small leeks, white and light-green parts only, roots trimmed (1 pound)
1/2 pound morels, trompettes de la mort, or conventional button mushrooms, diced (3 cups)
1 1/3 tablespoons salt, plus more to taste
1/4 teaspoon pepper, plus more to taste
1 cup milk
5 ounces white bread
4 large eggs
1 cup heavy cream or half-and-half
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
Dash of cayenne pepper

Steps:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 5-by-12-inch or 4-by-10-inch terrine pan, and then line it with plastic wrap.
Bring a pot half full of water with a tablespoon of salt to a boil, add the leeks, and boil for 10 minutes, or until fork-tender. Remove them gently from the water, and plunge them into ice water for about 10 minutes. Drain well, pat very dry, and cut the leeks in half lengthwise.
Sauté the mushrooms in the butter in a small frying pan, seasoning them with salt and pepper to taste, until they are golden brown-about 5 minutes. Spread half the cooked mushrooms and any remaining butter evenly in the bottom of the prepared terrine.
Pour the milk into a large bowl. Dip the bread in the milk and squeeze gently to remove the excess liquid. Place the bread, the eggs, the cream, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, the nutmeg, and the cayenne pepper in the bowl of a food processor equipped with the steel blade. Purée until creamy and uniform, and pour about a third of the mixture into the terrine. Press half of the leeks gently lengthwise into the terrine, cover with another third of the batter, and scatter on the remaining mushrooms. Repeat, using up the remaining leeks and remaining batter.
Cover the terrine with aluminum foil, and place it in a baking pan filled with enough boiling water to come halfway up the sides of the terrine. Bake for about 60 minutes, or until set and no longer wobbly in the center. Once it is cool enough to handle, unmold the terrine by flipping it over onto a serving plate. Slice, and serve warm or at room temperature. You can also cut the terrine into about ten slices in the mold. Then, when ready to serve, just microwave the slices and serve on individual plates.