Ham Hock Terrine

 Too much butter, not enough meat perhaps.

To celebrate the addition of my one member - more always welcome - I have decided to make a Ham Hock Terrine.  There is no explanation for this choice other than I wanted to give it a try.  This is an Australian MasterChef recipe and as they say on the show it is a good adult breakfast together with poached egg and brioche.  This recipe uses butter which I prefer the sound of, as opposed to using gelatin.  I am planning to serve it as part of a brunch menu with warm homemade crusty bread to spread it on.

I am happy with how the terrine has worked out although I don't think my hocks gave out as much meat as I needed, as the recipe called for 250g of butter.  Having thought about it, you need to get the meat off the hock first and then add say 200g of butter to see how it comes together and add more if necessary.  I have found that if you are eating it at room temp and not having it with something hot it can be too solid in texture.

Smoked ham hocks, pretty hidous looking but once cooked, yum!

It isn't a cheap dish to make as the hocks cost £8.50 from my local butcher and they can be more bone than meat.

You can use either chicken stock or water to cook the hocks.

I chose to use water to cook the hocks and the resulting stock once sieved taste's really good with a lovely smoky edge.  Am freezing the cooking liquor to use with a different pork dish at some stage.

All tucked up wrapped in Serrano Ham and cling film.

The end result is a rich smoky terrine ideal for a summer lunch.  As a snack on hot toast it is delicious!

If you want to have a go at this recipe you can find it at this web address http://www.masterchef.com.au/eggs-benedict-with-ham-hock-terrine-and-hollandaise-sauce.htm

In the end there was too much for us so I gave a third to our friends up the road and have stuck the rest in the freezer.  Let me know if you do have a go and how it turns out.