Morel Terrine

Hello food lovers,

Christmas is just a few days away and you're looking for inspiration for a starter that will impress your guests? Look no further. This recipe is made for you!

Discover our savoury Christmas log, a terrine with festive morel flavours that will impress your guests from the very first glance to the very last bite.

Let's get started with the recipe!

Here are the ingredients needed to make this terrine for 6 to 8 people:

Morel Sauce

- 25gr dried morels

- 60gr shallots

- 200gr white wine

- 100gr water

- 1/2 tsp vegetable stock

- 10 turns of the pepper mill

- 1/2 tsp salt

- 100gr heavy cream

Morel/shallot insert

- 15gr dried morels

- 15gr shallots

- 25gr white wine

- 2 turns of pepper mill

- 1 pinch of salt

- 1 sprig of parsley

- 2 sprigs of chives

Savoury sponge cake

- 2 eggs

- 10 turns of the pepper mill

- 1/2 tsp salt

- 50gr flour

- 25gr shallots

- 10 sprigs of chives

- 3 sprigs of parsley

Morel Mousse

- 5 gelatin leaves

- 230gr heavy cream

- 270gr morel sauce

Decorations

- Gelatin spray

- Cornflower and marigold edible flowers

To start, we will make the morel sauce which will be the base of our mousse.

Morel Sauce

Soak 25gr of dried morels in a large bowl of water for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, finely chop 60gr of shallots and set them aside.

Once the morels have absorbed the liquid, cut them into 4 to 5 pieces to ensure even cooking.

In a little oil, sauté the shallots, add 200gr of white wine and cook everything for 5 minutes over medium heat.

Add the chopped morels, mix well and pour in 100gr of water.

Add 1/2 tsp of vegetable stock, 10 turns of the the pepper mill and 1/2 tsp of salt.

Simmer over medium heat for 10 minutes.

Finish by adding 100gr of heavy cream and cook for another 5 minutes.

The morel sauce is ready. :-)

Blend everything into a smooth purée using a blender. For the mousse, we will need 270gr of purée.

Place the purée in the fridge to cool completely.

Meanwhile, we will prepare the morel/shallot insert, which also needs to cool down.

Morel/shallot insert

Start by soaking 15gr of dried morels in cold water for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, finely chop 15gr of shallots.

Once the morels are well rehydrated, cut them in half lengthwise.

Sauté the shallots in a little oil, then deglaze with 25gr of white wine.

Add the morels and cook everything for 10 minutes over medium heat until the white wine evaporates.

Remove from heat and season with 2 turns of the pepper mill, 1 pinch of salt, then mix.

Transfer the mixture to a large bowl, chop 1 sprig of parsley and 2 sprigs of chives, and mix.

Set aside in the fridge.

While the preparations are cooling, we can make the savoury sponge cake.

Savoury sponge cake

First, in a large bowl, crack 2 eggs. Add 10 turns of the pepper mill and 1/2 tsp of salt.

Preheat your oven to 180°C, fan-assisted.

Whisk everything to obtain a nice foamy mixture at maximum speed for about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, finely chop 25gr of shallots.

The eggs are well whipped; sift 50gr of flour and gently fold it in with a spatula so they don't deflate.

Add the shallots, then chop 10 sprigs of chives and 3 sprigs of parsley.

Gently mix everything together to obtain a smooth, even batter.

For this recipe, use the jelly and sponge cake mat to get an even sponge.

Place the mat on a perforated baking tray and spray it with release spray so nothing sticks when unmoulding.

Pour the sponge batter onto the mat and spread it evenly with a large offset spatula.

Bake for 7 minutes in the middle of the preheated oven.

Once the sponge is baked, turn it out onto a tray lined with baking paper. Carefully remove the mat and let the sponge cool completely.

Once the sponge has cooled, cut a rectangle of 7 x 17 cm. Set it aside.

If you make the sponge in advance, once cooled wrap it well in cling film so it doesn't dry out. It will keep for 2 days well wrapped.

We can now move on to the last step. Only carry out this step once all other preparations are ready and cooled.

Morel Mousse

Start by soaking 5 gelatin leaves in a jug of cold water.

In a bowl, whip 230 g of heavy cream until it forms soft peaks, ensuring it remains smooth and easy to fold in.

Take 50gr of morel sauce and pour it into a saucepan.

Squeeze out the gelatin leaves and add them to the sauce. Heat everything to melt the gelatin.

Pour everything back into the remaining 220gr of morel sauce. Mix well.

Add the whipped cream in several additions to the morel sauce/gelatin mixture. Start by mixing with the whisk then finish with the spatula to obtain a smooth, even mixture.

The mousse is now ready. For this recipe, we chose to use the Silikomart "Sleek Log" silicone mould. It is the ideal size for a starter. :-)

Pour the mousse up to halfway in the mould and spread it up the sides using a small offset spatula.

Place the shallot/morel insert in the centre of the mousse. Remember to keep 3 morels for decoration.

Cover the morels with mousse and smooth with a small offset spatula.

Place the sponge on top, pressing it gently so it adheres to the mousse and is flush with the mould.

Remove the excess mousse with the offset spatula. Tap the mould to remove as many air bubbles as possible.

Place the log in the freezer for at least 8 hours to set.

Once the terrine is well frozen, we can decorate it. :-)

Decorations

For this terrine, we opted for a simple yet elegant decoration.

Start by unmoulding the log onto a sheet of baking paper.

To prevent it from drying out and to give it a shine, spray it with gelatin spray.

Place the log on a nice plate or a log board.

Decorate with the reserved morels, then scatter cornflower and marigold edible flowers on top and finish with a few sprigs of parsley.

Our savoury log is now complete.

Once decorated, let your terrine thaw for 5 to 6 hours in the fridge before serving.

I hope you enjoy this festive starter! :-) Also discover our salmon-prawn terrine, which will be perfect for festive meals! :-)

Wishing you a lovely Sunday, food lovers!

Sophie

P.S.: All the equipment used can be found at the bottom of the recipe.