I am a big fan of terrine when spring come, and even more in summer. If you don’t know what a terrine is, I will just share a quick definition with you: a meat, fish, or vegetable mixture that has been cooked or otherwise prepared in advance and allowed to cool, typically served cold and in slices. I usually go for chicken or salmon terrine but this time around I wanted something different and prepared a Pea and Asparagus Terrine. Bonus: it is Vegan, Gluten Free and even Dairy Free.
Wait, I am not Vegan, is this recipe for me ?
If you don’t know me, I am not vegan nor vegetarian. I just like to open my cooking horizon and try different things from time to time. You don’t have to be Vegan to eat Vegan food. You probably eat Vegan/Vege food sometimes without even noticing. It is funny the numbers of friends I have that told me : I am not Vegan sorry I don’t think I will eat that. I am not sure of the concept? So because you are not VG you can’t do a VG meal? Anyway, I am changing topic here. If you want though, you can also easily turn this recipe into a regular terrine. Replace the tofu by 4 eggs and the vegetable cream by ½ regular cream.
To make the Pea and Asparagus Terrine, use fresh peas or even frozen ones if you can. I honestly did not have any on the day I made it and took the pictures, so I used canned ones. The result is not as good but it will do. Regarding fresh peas, you just have to cook them for about 10 to 15 minutes before using them in the terrine
Why do we put the vegetables in ice cold water after cooking?
First and foremost, because it stops the cooking process. But also, and this is very important when you cook peas, asparagus or even green beans, you want to retain the chlorophyll in your veggies and keep their vibrant colors. The cold water will fix the color on your peas/asparagus and you will have a very nice and vibrant green, versus a faded one (like the one you have when using canned peas).
A good example is actually my pictures!! I did not have fresh peas/frozen peas and ended up using canned ones to make this recipe. You can notice that the peas are completely faded. Also canned peas tend to be a bit mushy compared to fresh ones which keep a bit more “crispiness” (then it also depends on your taste, for the longest time, I liked canned pea better than fresh ones because they were overcooked).
What do I need to make this recipe?
Literally nothing. A blender and a cake mold (and obviously an oven). I am sure you already have all of those things at home!
I hope you will enjoy the Pea and Asparagus Terrine! Please tag me on Instagram if you happen to make it at home @eat.and.live.happy
Pea and Asparagus Terrine
Equipment
- Cake Mold
- Blender
Ingredients
- 300 g asparagus
- 250 g peas
- 250 g silken tofu
- 400 g vegetable cream
- 70 g garbanzo flour
- Salt
- Pepper
Instructions
- Remove the hard part of the asparagus and peel them if needed (only if they are large, don’t peel thin asparagus). Steam them for 10 minutes, until tender and them put in cold water to stop from cooking.
- Cook your peas for about 15 minutes in salted water, them plunge them into ice-cold water.
- Blend tofu with cream, garbanzo flour, salt and pepper until you get a smooth consistency. Line a cake mold with parchment paper. Add a layer of asparagus, one of peas and so on until you run out of them. Pour the tofu/cream mixture on top of it. Bake for 45 minutes at 200C/390F (depends on oven, make sure to check on your terrine once in a while).
- Serve cold!
