Various people have laid claim to almost all the items on my Spring Menu page. My mother, who I went to visit this weekend, had not officially dibbs’d any of the recipes but I had a sneaking suspicion that she wanted to take part in the Goat Cheese Beet Terrine. Luckily for us my cousin April who owns a fantastic company called Durham Organics had recently given her some lovely beets that we got to use in the making of this dish.

The terrines were easy to make and were absolutely lovely to look at. The only thing I didn’t like about this recipe is, the same thing I don’t like with all beet recipes, beets take a long time to cook and are a pain to work with since they will stain everything they come into contact with. annoying!

Everyone seemed quite pleased with them. They would be the perfect addition to any simple spring salad.

Beet and Goat cheese Terrine

Makes 6 individual terrines

1 lb fresh beets (a little less is okay too)

1 lemon

1 large log of fresh goat cheese (roughly 80 grams)

2 Tbsp whipping cream

1 Tbsp finely chopped chives

1 Tbsp finely chopped mint

1 tsp finely grated lemon zest

salt and pepper

Cook whole beets, untrimmed in boiling water with juice of 1 lemon (put the lemon halves in water after squeezing out juice), until tender, about 45 minutes. Drain, cool and then peel. Slice beets as thinly as possible and set aside.

Beat goat cheese with whipping cream until smooth. Add remaining ingredients, season to taste and fill a piping bag with a large, plain tip.

To assemble, line 6 muffin tin cups or 4-oz ramekins with plastic wrap. Place a single beet slice in the bottom of each cup. Line sides of each cup with beets, bedding to fit into the edge if needed, so that each cup is entirely lined with beets. Pipe goat cheese filling into each and top with beet slices to cover goat cheese. Chill for at least 2 hours.

To serve, gently pull out each terrine, unwrap and turn out onto serving plate.

Notes & Tips

These terrines can be served on a bed of baby greens and a little cucumber with a simple vinaigrette. Alternately, terrines can have an added layer or smoked salmon or cooked shrimp inside or on top (for a lunch entrée)