Duck Terrine With Figs From 'My Paris Kitchen'

1. In a small saucepan, heat dried fruits with the Cognac or brandy just to the point where liquid begins to simmer. Remove from heat, cover, and set aside.

2. Scatter duck meat and bacon on a dinner plate and place plate in freezer until the edges of the meats are frozen.

3. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).

4. Purée the liver in a food processor, add the partially frozen duck meat and bacon, and process until the mixture is almost a smooth paste, but slightly chunky.

5. Scrape mixture into a large bowl and add pork, shallots, garlic, mustard, salt, thyme, allspice, cloves, ginger, and a few grinds of a peppermill. Add eggs, cornichons, pickle juice, and plumped dried fruits along with any liquid with them; mix very well.

6. Pack terrine mixture into a deep 9- by 5-inch (23 by 13cm) loaf pan (see note). Cut a piece of parchment paper large enough to fit over the top, then seal the top of the pan with aluminum foil. Set the loaf pan in a larger baking dish and add enough very hot water to reach a little over halfway up the outside of the loaf pan.

7. Bake for about 1 1/2 hours, or until an instant-read thermometer stuck in the center registers 160°F (71°C). Remove from oven. Lift terrine out of water bath and carefully pour out hot water. Place terrine back in the larger dish and put a brick (or another flat, heavy object) on the foil on top of the terrine and let cool to room temperature. During the cooling, any juice that overflows should be collected and chilled; a dab of jelly makes an excellent accompaniment when serving.

8. Once cool, refrigerate terrine for 2 days before serving, to allow terrine to season. Slice it directly from the pan. It may crumble a bit, as it’s a country-style (chunky) terrine. It can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 10 days. I don’t recommend freezing because it changes the texture of terrine.

Notes

This terrine mixture will fit into a loaf pan that has a 2 1/2-quart (2.5l) capacity, or you can bake it in any kind of deep mold that you wish; those made of metal, glass, earthenware, or ceramic will work well. If you have a little terrine mixture left over, it can be baked in a smaller vessel alongside the larger one; cook it until the internal temperature reaches 160°F (71°C).