Jambon Persille

Photo: flickr user Meg Zimbeck

Ingredients

1 small uncooked salted ham about 3.5kg or 1 uncooked salted shoulder of ham about 2.5kg

200 grams carrots

150 grams onions stuck with 3 cloves

1 lrg bouquet garni with plenty of thyme

1 tablespoon crushed peppercorns

shin of veal blanched

1 calfs foot split lengthways and blached

1 bot white burgundy (Aligote SaintVeran or Macon)

1 tablespoon good wine vinegar

150 grams shallots finely chopped

20 grams garlic finely chopped

3 tabllespoons snipped flatleaved parsley

1 tablespoon snipped tarragon

2 tablespoons chervil leaves

(1 for preparing the terrines 1 for the moulds)

1 salt and freshly ground pepper

Preparation

Preparation time 1 hour plus at least 12 hours soaking and 12 hours setting cooking time about 3 hoursequipment 2 terrines or burgundy ham dishes well chilled and cooking thermometer (optional)

Soak the ham or shoulder under a trickle of cold running water for 1224 hours to remove the salt.

Place in a large pan and cover with fresh cold water.

Bring gently to simmering point; if possible use a thermometer to check the temperature reaches 80 to 90C (175 to 195F) maximum.

Cook very gently for 30 minutes skimming the surface as often as possible then add the carrots onions bouquet garni peppercorns shin of veal and the calfs foot. Simmer for a further 2 hours then pour in 650ml white wine and cook for another 30 minutes.

The ham or shoulder should now be so well cooked that you can shred it with a fork. Leave in the pan to cool to 30C (85F).

Remove the meat from the pan and discard all the aromatics.

Strain the cooking liquid through a conical sieve into a saucepan skim off the fat and reduce by half.

Take the pan off the heat and stir in the vinegar.

Pour the liquid into a bowl set on crushed ice and leave to cool to a jelly stirring with a spatula from time to time.

Season.

While the jelly is cooling take the meat off the bones of the calfs foot shin of veal and ham.

Discard some of the rind and fat then cut the shin and ham into large cubes and the calfs foot into very small dice.

Pour the rest of the wine into a saucepan add the chopped shallots and cook for 3 minutes.

Take the pan off the heat add the garlic then pour into a chilled bowl and leave to cool.

When the liquid is cold add the chopped parsley and tarragon 1 tablespoon chervil and the diced calfs foot.

Take the terrines or ham dishes out of the fridge and line the bottom and sides of each with a thin layer of halfset jelly.

Make a layer of large cubes of veal and ham then pour on a little more halfset jelly. Spoon in some of the diced calfs foot and herb mixture pour on a little more jelly then make another layer of cubed veal and ham.

Make 3 or 4 layers in this way ending with a thin even layer of jelly.

Delicately press some chervil leaves into this layer then refrigerate the terrines for at least 12 hours.

Serve the ham in the terrine and give your guests a large flat knife (such as a boning or charcuterie knife) to cut their own portion.

Cut off the first outside slice before presenting the terrine at table.

Serve with Dijon mustard homepickled gherkins and small white onions in vinegar and salad of dandelion leaves with garlic croutons.

Note:This dish will keep very well in the fridge for several days so it is worth making a couple of terrines at the same time.

Serve with a Beaujolais nouveau or at Easter (the traditional time to eat this dish) a Beaujolais villages.

Makes 2 terrines to serve 20 people