When I first started this blog four years ago, I didn’t have any misconceptions that I knew anything about cooking.
I knew I liked to cook and I knew I liked experimenting, but I had no idea what I was doing. I would scroll through the internet, looking for inspiration, and often times settle on things that looked beautiful but seemed totally absurd.
And that’s how I came across this Saveur recipe, which called for 20 leeks and basically nothing else. I saved this one—knowing I’d come back to it eventually. It just looked too pretty to forget about. And then finally, four years later, I decided to give it a try. But I’ve gained some wisdom over the years and before jumping head first, I made some mental critiques of the recipe.
So 20 leeks turned to 12, because I figured there is nothing in this world that needed that many. But other than that, I followed the recipe, just like the old days. And to my surprise, this recipe lived up to expectations both in esthetics and flavor. I picked a good one 4 years ago, and while I don’t typically repost recipes from other sites, this one felt nostalgic.
- 12 small to medium leeks with about 10 inches of white to light green, dark greens chopped off and rinsed
- 4 ounces chèvre
- 4 ounces crème fraiche
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to boil. Add leeks to water and cook until they are tender, about 10-15 minutes, working in batches if needed. Transfer leeks to a cutting board and let cool slightly.
- Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix together chèvre, crème fraiche, and lemon zest.
- Once leeks have cooled, use a clean kitchen towel to squeeze out extra liquid. Trim off root end and season leeks with salt and pepper.
- Line a 9 by 5 loaf pan with plastic wrap with about 4 inches of extra wrap hanging over the edges. Place 4 leeks in the bottom of the pan. Spread ⅓ of the goat cheese mixture equally across the leeks and season with salt and pepper. Top with 4 more leeks and spread another layer of ⅓ of goat cheese mixture. Repeat one last time with the remaining 4 leeks and last ⅓ of the goat cheese mixture.
- Fold plastic wrap over the top of the terrine. Place three 15 ounce cans on top to weigh it down, and refrigerate for 6-8 hours. Carefully remove plastic wrap on top and invert the terrine onto a serving dish. Gently cut the terrine into 1 inch slices to serve.
Recipe from Saveur.
3achieved
writes 1virginian