a terrine's a terrine terrine

A month ago I saw this cookbook at a friend's house, was enticed by the front cover, picked it up, and the rest is history. By the time I reached the sentence about how it wasn't a health-food book, I was hooked. The intro is fabulous. It talks about eating well in a non-health-nut way and includes bright pictures of the awesomest food pyramid known to man, the best sources of fibre, protein, etc. (Yes, I did just write "fibre" and not "fiber". The book seems British/European, but was published in New York. I'm very confused.) It even contains this delightful tidbit, "Like most things in life, sugary treats are fine, as long as they are enjoyed in moderation." That's what I like to hear! Keep the health and keep the fun!

Since getting this book I've done one recipe per weekend. Here are some quick reviews:

• Mediterranean Vegetable Hotpot...very good! Added chicken apple sausage, which was divine (Shhh! Don't tell the vegetarians!)
• Asparagus and Red Capsicum Salad...Ok. Not very exciting (didn't use olives). Did you know that capsicum is a fancy way to say "bell pepper"?
• Leek and Potato Soup...Good! Simple, forgot the green onion garnish.
• Provencale Stir-fry...tasty but not astounding. Great for lunches, the fried eggplant is waaaay too labor intensive. Next time just stick it in the stir-fry

And tonight...tonight, my friends, was my magnum opus. Tonight I decided that it was finally time to make the dish that I've been longing to make since I first set eyes on the front cover: Individual Vegetable Terrines with a Spicy Tomato Sauce. Have you ever had a terrine? Before tonight I hadn't ever eaten one, much less actually seen it. Do you know what it is? Allow the interweb to enlighten you (and me):

Terrine= pate or fancy meatloaf baked in an earthenware casserole. Usually describes a kind of pate made of pieces of meat in a deep dish with straight sides. By extension, the term also refers to food prepared in a terrine, mainly game and venison, brawn and pâtés, and served in it. If it has been pressed and chilled, then turned out for serving in slices, a terrine becomes a pâté

How strange. I'm fairly sure that my terrine held no meat and did not become paté. But...! It did look pretty much like the picture, tasted good, and will have to be made when there's someone I need to impress. Here's how my whole terrine-ian adventure ran:

Everyone get together for a group shot!

Figuring out the whole grease-then-flour-then-paper thing was interesting

Everyone else shows nicely composed shots when displaying their recipes. Well, I call this shot, "Kitchen Chaos; An Honest Portrait of Meal Preparation"

Denuding bell peppers is no easy task, mind you. (Somehow the word "de-nude" seems so much more appropriate than "scalp" or "peel.")

There they are, all ready to be topped off with eggplant, patted down like the good little terrine's that they are, and stuck in the oven.

It's done!!! I think I'd call that successful, wouldn't you? (Forgive the not-so-hot pictures. I was in need of food at this point.)

In conclusion, it's a great cookbook! Lots of inspiring pictures and fresh ideas. Not painfully health-nuttish, yet very nutritionally informative.