Blood Terrine with Tarragon

This is a recipe I have a attempted a couple of times with various levels of success.

The plus : It is deliciously bloody! Half this recipe is simply fresh blood. It is also quite easy to put together.

The minus : It doesn’t look very appealing and it has had a tendency to come out a little spongy. (which could possibly be improved by the addition of corn starch)

Ingredients (for 6)

50cl fresh pig’s blood
50cl full fat milk
2 large shallots
1 big onion
A couple tbsp cognac or white wine
150g smoked lard
Generous amount of fresh (or dried) tarragon
1/4 tsp espelette pepper (or cayenne)
Salt, black pepper and a little nutmeg

You will also need a terrine dish.

Method:

Preheat oven to 180 °
In a pan, over medium heat, fry your finely diced smoked lard ( lardons) a couple minutes, and remove from the fire before they are crispy. Set aside.
In the same pan, throw your shallots and onions and fry them in the grease with a little cognac, white wine or vegetable stock until they are translucent and tender.
Stir and strain the fresh blood to make sure you do not have any clots.
In the terrine dish, pour the blood, milk, salt, pepper, tarragon and the pinch of nutmeg. Add the onions , shallots and lard.
Mix well. Place the lid on the terrine and bake an hour. After an hour, remove the lid and let it cook about another 20 minutes or until the top appears nicely browned, almost black.
Remove from the oven and let cool. When at room temperature, pop your terrine in the fridge for about 8h.
Serve cold, with a little bread. Or serve warm, sliced and fried in a little butter.

Notes and Tips:

Adding a little raw shallot can give it some crunch. and if you like your terrine it a little denser (more like a blood pudding), you can try adding some rye breadcrumbs, oats or cooked barley.

Alternatively, there’s another recipe I found on Gourmantissimes which is infallible and absolutely delicious. The main difference however, is that it uses already made black pudding, (not raw blood) as a base but it’s simply astounding. I’ll be sure to throw a link when the recipe will be posted on the site :)! Keep an eye out.