6 days and 4 hours without internet! How did we cope for all those years when it didn't exist is my question. After a power failure we were computerless for what seemed like an eternity. Pacing the room and begging doesn't work - waiting for the holidays to end and the repairman to return, does. So I'm back (thanks Arnie) and will continue with tales of Africa very soon.

Today you are getting one more recipe from my German stay as I need some time to upload photos from this beautiful sunshiney country. Sorry to my Northern readers sitting huddles in jerseys (thanks for the faithful comments http://oysterfoodandculture.com/ ), but I am soaking up the sunshine, blue skies and sea air in Port ELizabeth in the hope that I can get my batteries charged before returning to the snow and cold. I'm thinking of you though!

In the top photo you can see Edith and Rudi aswell as my in-laws, Karl and Leni, and of course my beloved husband Joerg.

BEET TERRINE / BEETROOT TERRINE (served with HAM IN VINAIGRETTE)
(Serves 4-8)

The red and white striped terrine looked really impressive and although it was a bit tricky getting the timing right with the gelatin, it wasn’t terribly difficult to make, just a little time consuming. I served it with sliced ham marinated in vinaigrette – the vinaigrette gives it a slight kick.

I substituted Horseradish cream for fresh horseradish and must admit that it was a little bland. Therefore, I would recommend that you either follow the recipe and use fresh horseradish if available, or use at least 4 tbsp of horseradish cream to give it a little bite. My guests said that they thought the flavors were perfect, but I still say use more! (I used 2 tbsp.)

Gelatin: I used red and white colored ones as I have them (!), but you can use the plain non-colored gelatin without a problem. I used red sheets and white powder and both worked well. If using powdered gelatin, read the packet and use the equivalent amount. The sheets are soaked in cold water and then squeezed out and added to the warm mass. The powder is normally mixed with less water (6 tbsp per packet), left to swell for about 10 minutes and then also mixed into the warm liquid and stirred till completely dissolved. You could easily use half the quantity of white gelatin, but I was too lazy to measure ½ a pkt and using the whole packet was fine.

Beets: I didn’t want to dirty the whole food processor for 500g of beetroot and I wasn’t home with my Magic Bullet, so mine was still a little lumpy. Didn’t make any difference to the setting of the terrine or the looks, but it would be even nicer if it was completely pureed.

THE TERRINE

6 sheets of red gelatin OR 1x9g pkt of powdered gelatin
500g cooked red beets, pureed
Salt and pepper, lots!
6 sheets of white gelatin OR 1x9g pkt of powdered gelatin
2 x 200ml cream, whipped
50g fresh horseradish, finely grated OR 4 tbsp horseradish cream

1. Place plastic wrap inside a bread baking tin (about 1lt capacity). Soak the red and the white gelatin separately as per the instructions on the packet or as above. Season the beets with salt and lots of pepper.

2. Heat the red gelatin in a little bit of water (about 2-4 tbsp) over a low heat till it dissolves, add a bit of the beetroot puree to the pan, mix and then add the rest of the beets and mix well, stirring till it starts to gel. Remove from the heat, and stir in half of the cream (200ml) then spread half the mix in the tin and place the tin in the freezer for 20 minutes.

3. Heat the white gelatin in a little bit of water (about 2-4 tbsp) over a low heat till it dissolves, then stir in the horseradish and 2 tbsp of cream, and as soon as it starts to gel remove from the heat and stir in the rest of the cream. Remove the tin from the freezer and spread the cream evenly over the top of the first beetroot layer. Return to the freezer for another 20 minutes or so.

4. Remove and spread the rest of the beetroot mass on top of the cream layer. Freeze 20 minutes more and then remove and put in the fridge for at least 3 hours. (NOTE: I left mine in the freezer overnight and then put it in the fridge the next morning. It kept nice and firm in the fridge over days.)

5. Remove the terrine from the tin with the help of the plastic wrap and serve with (or without) the ham in vinaigrette.

HAM IN VINAIGRETTE

8 slices of ham, sliced lengthwise
4 tbsp olive oil
4 tbsp vinegar or lemon juice
Salt and pepper

1. Whisk together the oil, vinegar, salt and pepper and mix in the sliced ham. Leave to marinade for at least 30minutes so that the flavors can infuse. Serve with the terrine.

The original recipe is served with Calf shoulder meat, that was cooked and for a couple of hours and then marinated. I went for an easier option and served it with ham marinated in vinaigrette.

This recipe is mostly from “Faszination Aplenkueche”, Lingen Publications.