Taste, Issue 30

My friend Daniele Delpeuch shared this wonderful recipe with me. It is a classic from the kitchens of south- western France and such a simple way to make a truly delicious terrine. Make it 4 to 10 days before you plan to serve it to allow the flavours to develop.

• 175ml cognac
• 2 big handfuls herbs, eg tarragon, chervil, parsley
• 2 skinless duck breasts, fat removed
• 1 kg coarse-cut fatty pork mince or ground
• skinless pork belly
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper

Place cognac in a pot with herbs (stems on) and bring just to a boil. Take off heat and when cool squeeze out the herbs into the cognac to extract all their flavour. Discard herbs.

Pour infused cognac over duck breasts. Leave to marinate for about 1 hour. Mix mince with salt and pepper. Fill the base of a 6-cup terrine dish with half the mince mixture. Lift duck breasts out of infused cognac (reserving the liquid) and place the length of the terrine dish on top of the mince. Place rest of mince on top, pressing down firmly. Pour over reserved cognac and let sit to absorb for about 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 190°C. Bake terrine in a water bath for about 50 minutes or until it bounces back when pressed on top; if it is still squidgy, return to oven until cooked through. Juices may be lightly pink from the duck breast. Cool terrine and then weight down for several hours (I cover with tinfoil and sit a couple of cans on top). Chill for at least 48 hours before serving. Serves 6-8

• 3 medium beets (800g), peeled and coarsely grated
• 1 red onion, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons dried currants
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground allspice
• ½ cup balsamic vinegar
• ¼ cup water
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper

Place all ingredients in a pot. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to a low simmer and cook for 20 minutes. Remove lid and carry on cooking until liquid has all but evaporated and beets are tender and glossy. Stored in the fridge, it will keep for a couple of weeks. Great with cold meats and as the base for a savoury tart with feta and rosemary. Makes 3 cups

Use the balsamic beetroot relish to make this savoury tart.

For one individual tart, roll out 50g shortcrust pastry into a thin disc about 10cm in diameter.

Place on a baking tray. Spread 1 heaped tablespoon beetroot relish over the pastry, leaving 1.5cm around the edge and fold this up into a rim. Top with 15-20g feta cheese and finish with a few rosemary leaves. Season with salt and pepper. Bake at 180°C for about 20 minutes until pastry is crisp and golden.

A picnic rug, a flask of hot coffee and a hamper full of delicious treats set the scene for a late-summer picnic. Slough off the rush and bustle of daily life and head out of town with a bunch of friends to enjoy the chirp of crickets and the soft, sweet smell of summer grass. Doesn’t it just feel like the good life? Words & Recipes Annabel Langbein; Photographs Aaron McLean.

Sesame Lavosh Crispbreads

• 1 cup plain flour
• ½ cup wholemeal flour
• 2 tablespoons black sesame seeds
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• ½ teaspoon sesame oil
• ½ cup water
• extra olive oil
• flaky sea salt

Preheat oven to 160°C fan bake. In a mixing bowl stir together the flours, sesame seeds and salt. Shake oils and water together and add to dry ingredients, stirring to form a soft, pliable dough.

Divide dough into 4 pieces and roll each out on a lightly floured board as thinly as possible. Cut into strips about 3cm x 10cm. Place on a baking tray, brush with extra olive oil and sprinkle lightly with sea salt. Bake until crisp and golden, 15-20 minutes. Allow to cool fully before storing in an airtight container. Makes about 30

Smoky Eggplant Puree

Adding mango to a traditional Thai hot sauce gives it a lovely fruity flavour, creamy texture and colour. In Thailand, other versions use cooked eggplants or raw tomatoes in place of the mango. This sauce is terrific with poultry, seafood, pork and vegetables.