Terrine Using Sous Vide

Melt the fat in a pan over medium heat, then sauté the onions with the bay leaf until they’re nice and soft, add the garlic and the thyme, and cook for another minute or so, until everything is nice and fragrant, then transfer the mixture to a bowl sat down in an ice bath to chill.

Once that’s reached around room temperature, add the remaining seasonings, the cream, the brandy, and the eggs.

Give everything a stir to combine, and set the bowl aside. (You can take it out of the ice bath now.) Pulse the chicken livers in the food processor until they’re coarsely chopped, then add the liver, ground pork, and sausage to the egg and cream mixture. Mix that up with your hands real good, then fold in the pistachios and ham cubes.

Line four little disposable loaf pans with three strips of bacon each, fill them up with your meat mixture, then fold the bacon over the top of the mixture.

Seal the loaf pans in vacuum bags—this will help the loaf keep its shape—then place them in a 155-degree bath for three hours. There’s no need to let them sit beforehand for the flavors to meld, as the ones I let hang out in the fridge overnight didn’t taste any different than the ones I cooked straight away.

Once they’re done cooking, chill them down in an ice bath and then transfer to them to the fridge for at least 8 hours. When they’re cold and firm, pop them out of their tins. There will be a little meat goop in the bag and some collagen type stuff hanging out on the loaf. Just wipe or rinse that off with cold water and dry it with paper towels.