If you have a special occasion coming up, this is a perfect dish to make. You’ll need to prepare the terrine the day before, then serve it in generous slices with chopped chives and a little coarse sea salt, with some grilled bread and cornichons on the side.

RABBIT AND BACON TERRINE

If kept refrigerated and well wrapped, this terrine should last for up to a week.

Serves 10-12

For the brined rabbit
1 litre water
50g table salt
A small sprig of fresh thyme
A small sprig of fresh rosemary
1 bay leaf
2 cloves garlic
500g mixed rabbit meat

Measure out 250ml of the water, add the salt and bring to the boil to dissolve. Immediately remove from the heat and cool by adding the remaining 750ml of cold or iced water. When cool, add the herbs and garlic, then refrigerate in a plastic container with a lid. Once cooled to below 5C (check with a thermometer), add the rabbit meat and leave for 12 hours.

Remove the meat and leave to soak for 2 hours in cold water, changing the water 3 times every hour. Throw away the brine.

For the terrine
500g brined rabbit meat, cut into 1cm cubes
125g coarse-minced pork belly (a kind butcher may do this for you; otherwise, you’ll have to finely chop it at home)
25g cognac
3 cloves garlic, minced
50g shallots, finely chopped
375g white wine
1 bay leaf
5g rosemary leaves, picked and finely chopped
50g lardo (Italian salted lard), diced into 5mm cubes; available from good delis, or try www.savoria.co.uk
50g piece of pancetta, diced into 5mm cubes
125g mixture of rabbit livers and kidneys, diced into 5mm cubes (chicken will do if you can’t get these at your local butcher)
Salt and pepper, to taste
25-30 thin slices of pancetta, to line the terrine

You will need a terrine mould (to hold 1 litre volume), clingfilm, aluminium foil and a kitchen thermometer.

Mix the rabbit meat with the minced pork and leave them to marinate in the cognac for one hour.

Put the garlic and shallots in a pan with the white wine and bay leaf, then bring to the boil. Set alight (without incinerating the bay leaf) and allow to flame. Simmer for about 5 minutes, until you can no longer smell the alcohol, reduce to a syrup, then remove from the heat. Add the rosemary and leave to cool. Remove the bay leaf.

Next, mix the marinated pork and rabbit with the garlic and shallot mixture, the lardo, the diced pancetta, and the rabbit livers and kidneys, and season with salt and pepper. To check your seasoning, take a little of the mixture and microwave it for 30 seconds or fry it until it is cooked through, then taste. Adjust the seasoning as necessary and taste again. Keep going until you’re happy.

Preheat the oven to 120C/250F/Gas Mark ½. Line the mould with the sliced pancetta, leaving enough hanging over the edges to fold over and cover the terrine once filled. Pack the terrine mix tightly into the mould.

It helps to bang the terrine on the table every so often, to get rid of any air pockets. When the mould is full, dome the mixture up a little in the centre, then fold over the pancetta, tucking it into the sides of the mould with a knife and trimming off any excess.

Wrap the whole terrine with clingfilm, pressing it in to remove any air pockets, then wrap the top with foil. Place in an ovenproof dish with sides at least the same height as the mould. Fill the dish with warm water until it almost reaches the top of the mould. Place in the oven and bake until the centre of the terrine reaches 55C. Depending on the shape of your terrine, this will take between one and two hours, but start checking the temperature after about 40 minutes to prevent it from overcooking.

Carefully remove the terrine from the water bath and allow to cool. (Leave the water bath in the oven until it has cooled to avoid burning yourself.) Turn the terrine upside down and leave it to cool before pressing overnight in the fridge. To do this, lay weights (use packets of butter or tinned food) on top of the terrine, wrapping them together tightly with clingfilm to prevent them falling off, and put in the fridge.

To release the terrine, slide a knife all the way round the edge of the mould, then turn it upside down and tap firmly on the base. If it won’t drop out, ease it out with a spatula or fish slice. Scrape off any fat or jelly from around the terrine and wipe clean with a piece of kitchen paper. Discard the fat, but keep the jelly to use as a delicious, concentrated stock for sauces and gravy.

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