Puna Goat Cheese Vegetable Terrine ►
Like all good chefs, Ferguson-Ota looks for the finest local products — in this case, goat cheese made in the Puna district of the Big Island. The goat cheese between each layer helps bind this terrine, which combines all sorts of fresh vegetables. The chef makes her terrine in a 3-inch triangular mold, but you may substitute other shapes.
Ingredients
- Japanese eggplants - 6, large, sliced lengthwise into 1/4-inch strips
- Shiitake Mushrooms - 3 ounces fresh, stemmed and sliced
- Zucchini - 3, large, slices lengthwise into 1/4-inch strips
- Yellow Squash - 1 medium, sliced crosswise into 1/4-inch slices
- Garlic Cloves - 12
- Olive Oil - for brushing and sprinkling
- Salt to taste
- Puna - 10 ounces, crumbled (alt.other fresh white goat cheese)
- Red Bell Peppers - 3 roasted, peeled, seeded, and julienned
- Basil Leaves - 1 tablespoon, chopped
- White Mushrooms - 1 cup, sliced
- Tomato - 1, ripe, peeled and seeded
- Balsamic Vinegar - for sprinkling
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
- Basil - 8 sprigs, fresh
Instructions
To make the terrine: Preheat the oven to 350 F. Salt the eggplant slices and let sit for 30 minutes; rinse with cold water. Arrange the shiitakes, eggplants, zucchini, squash, onion, and garlic on an oiled baking sheet. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Roast for 10 minutes. Set aside and cool. Squeeze half of the garlic cloves out of their skins and chop.
Line a 2-quart loaf pan, terrine, or triangular mold with plastic wrap, leaving 4 inches of plastic wrap hanging over each edge of the pan. Arrange the vegetables in the pan: Lay the eggplant and zucchini slices across the pan, alternating the vegetables and overlapping the slices to form a continuous layer. Let the slices go up the sides of the pan and over the edge. Sprinkle with onion. Using your fingers or the back of a spoon, spread a thin layer of cheese on top of the onion. Top with a layer of peppers and a layer of basil. Top with another thin layer of cheese. Sprinkle with the mushrooms and the chopped garlic and top with another layer of cheese. Place the squash slices over the cheese. Put the tomatoes over the squash, and top with basil. Press down gently with your fingers. Fold in any extending eggplant and zucchini slices. Fold the plastic wrap over the top of the mold and refrigerate for 3 hours.
To serve: Lift the mold out of the pan. Slice through the plastic with a serrated knife. Peel off the plastic and arrange a slice on each chilled plate. Sprinkle with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and pepper. Garnish with a sprig a basil and the unpeeled garlic cloves.
