New Now and Zen Epicure Publisher: The Book Publishing Company © 2001 by Miyoko Nishimoto Schinner ISBN: 1570671141

Reprinted with permission from the publisher, The Book Publishing Company.

Vegetable Aspic Terrine (p. 52-53)
Yield: 6 to 10 servings

This is absolutely beautiful to look at and very delicately flavored. Seasoned vegetable jewels are held together by a clear jellied consommé which rests on a bedding of bright green pea or asparagus mousse. Impress your mother-in-law with this one.

Ingredients

Consommé

• 3 1/2 cups vegetable stock
• 3 tablespoons Madeira
• 6 to 8 fennel seeds
• 1/8 teaspoon dried tarragon
• 1 teaspoon tomato paste
• salt or soy sauce
• 3/4 bar, 3/4 teaspoon powdered, or 3 tablespoons flaked agar

Vegetables

• 1/2 onion, quartered and separated into leaves
• 1 cup cut asparagus (about 6 to 8 stalks, depending on thickness)
• 4 carrot sticks the length of your mold or bread pan
• 1/2 to 1 sweet red bell pepper, cut into strips 1/4 inch wide
• 1 cup broccoli florets
• 1 cup or more small mushrooms
• 1 pack enoki (white straw) mushrooms (optional)

Pea or Asparagus Base

• 1/2 cup fresh or frozen green peas, or 1 cup chopped asparagus (6 to 8 spears)
• 1/4 small onion
• Stock to cover the vegetables
• 1/2 teaspoon sweetener
• Salt
• 1/2 cup soymilk or soy cream
• 1/2 bar, 1/2 teaspoon powdered, or 2 tablespoons flaked agar

Directions

Combine all the ingredients for the consommé, except the agar, in a large saucepan with a tight-fitting lid. The vegetables will be cooked in this, and both the consommé and vegetables will benefit from the joint simmering. Bring the consommé to a gentle boil, and cook the vegetables in it, a few pieces at a time, until they are tender but still crisp. Remove the vegetables as they cook, and drain well in a colander placed over a bowl to catch the drippings. Strain and measure the broth. If you have more than 2 cups, boil it down rapidly to 2 cups. Check the flavor; you might have to adjust the seasonings with a little additional salt, soy sauce, Madeira, or tomato paste.

Prepare the agar as instructed on page 2, and dissolve it in the 2 cups of consommé. Immediately pour 1/3 inch into a 1-quart bread pan or terrine mold, and set it over a tray of ice or in the freezer for a few minutes until it begins to jell slightly. Start layering the cooked vegetables, making sure to leave a 1/2-inch space on both sides or the terrine will crumble when cut. Broccoli flowers look pretty down the middle, surrounded by carrot sticks and asparagus. Pour a little more hot consommé into the mold, being careful not to disrupt the layer of vegetables inside, and allow it to jell slightly before layering in more vegetables. Repeat this process of layering vegetables, pouring in consommé, and allowing it to partially set until all the consommé is used up. (You will probably have some vegetables left over.) This takes time, since the consommé must thicken slightly before the vegetables can be put in and held in place. Don't allow it to harden completely during the process. A few minutes in the freezer each time more consommé has been poured in is all that is necessary to get it to the proper soft-jell consistency.

You will have plenty of time while the consommé is jelling to make the green pea or asparagus mousse. Cook the peas or asparagus and the onion in the stock with the sweetener and salt until tender. Drain, reserving the liquid. Purée the vegetables with the soymilk or soy cream, then dissolve the agar in the remaining stock. (You should have at least 1/4 cup or more.) Add it to the puréed vegetables, and blend for 10 seconds. Pour this very carefully on top of the consommé and vegetable mold when the previous layers have jelled slightly. Chill in the refrigerator several hours or overnight, and carefully invert onto a plate. Slice and serve.

Nutritional Information

Per serving: Calories 51, Protein 3 g, Fat 0 g, Carbohydrates 9 g