ASPARAGUS TERRINE

Enjoy this while asparagus is in season. Great for picnics or Sunday brunch. A terrine is a deep oblong lidded ovenproof dish, generally made out of cast iron, that gives its name to whatever is cooked within it. If you don't have a terrine, use a loaf tin instead. This recipe uses smoked salmon but you could substitute another smoked fish, such as snapper, or even bacon. Serves 6.

1 bunch of asparagus
500g cream cheese
4 egg whites
½ cup cream
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 handful chopped parsley
100 g smoked salmon, sliced

Preheat the oven to 150 degrees C and line your tin with baking paper. Cook asparagus until al dente, drain and dry. Beat the cream cheese with the egg whites and cream, season, and fold in the parsley. Pour into the tin, then lie half the asparagus spears on top. Add a layer of salmon, and then the last of the asparagus. Sit the terrine in a roasting pan, pour water carefully into the roasting pan so it reaches halfway up the sides of the tin. Pop on lid tin or cover with foil and cook for one hour or until set. Cool completely before refrigerating. Remove from the tin and cut into slices.

 

Recipe courtesy NZ Gardener Garden Diary