I happened across the most beautiful red cabbage, crisp, dark red-near purple, not too large, an ideal candidate for red cabbage puree. Why puree such a beautiful vegetable? I enjoy the sultry silkiness of braised cabbage and a puree is a further extension of the texture I covet in cooked cabbage. Similarly, I enjoy a balance of sweet and sour with cabbage and we were able to achieve that balance with pomegranate juice and tamarind along with a splash of red wine and a sprinkling of sugar and salt. The cabbage was meltingly tender and purple throughout after a mere twenty minutes in the pressure cooker. I put the remaining juices and the cabbage in the blender and soon I add the flavors I wanted combined with a texture I only dreamed cabbage could have.
Coincidentally, we were also exploring chicken livers. We had just made a chicken liver mousse flavored with garam masala, smoked soy sauce and Madiera. We had it set in a square pyrex pan, our current favorite
terrine mold. I wondered if we could set the cabbage puree on top of the chicken livers for a two flavored terrine?
Turns out we could. We blended the cabbage puree with some carrageenan and after we hydrated it we poured it on top of the chicken livers. The cabbage and the livers united in an even seam. (One of the benefits of using pyrex is that we could see the layers from the outside.) Once the terrine rested overnight, we sliced it to see how the terrine had come together. The results are beautiful. The cabbage and the chicken livers have the same textures with completely different and still harmonious flavors. A sprinkling of course salt, a few grinds of pepper and some crumbled pistachio cookies completed the dish.
I think we are pretty close with the results we yielded today. A few adjustments in the chicken liver recipe made allow a touch more functionality. For now, the terrine is ready to be served.
