Herbed Oxtail Terrine

In the NutriGuide test kitchen, Chief Culinary Specialist Stewart Lucas refined this classic Herbed Oxtail Terrine to celebrate vibrant, wholesome ingredients. By prioritizing aromatic layering and precise thermal control, this recipe achieves remarkable culinary depth while preserving natural micronutrients and wholesome texture.

At NutriGuide, our mission is to ensure that home cooking is both accessible and culinary-grade. When executing Herbed Oxtail Terrine, focus on fresh aromatics, dry surface contact for proper searing, and allowing the food to rest before serving.

• Yield: 1
• Ingredients
• FOR THE TERRINE-
• 5 lb meaty oxtails trimmed of excess fat
• 1/4 c vegetable oil
• 9 c beef broth
• 1 1/2 c dry red wine
• 1 cn tomatoes including the juice (14- to 16-ounce)
• 2 onions chopped coarse
• 2 carrots chopped coarse
• 4 garlic cloves crushed
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 1/3 c chopped scallion
• 1/2 c minced fresh parsley leaves
• 3 tb fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 ts black pepper
• FOR THE SAUCE-
• 1/3 c sour cream
• 1/4 c mayonnaise
• 2 tb drained bottled capers chopped
• 1 tb dijon-style mustard
• 2 ts drained bottled horseradish or to taste
• 1 soft-leafed lettuce for serving

Chef's Sourcing & Quality Tips:

• Produce & Aromatics: Always use fresh whole aromatics and seasonal herbs rather than dehydrated powders when possible.
• Cooking Oils: Utilize cold-pressed oils with appropriate smoke points such as extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil.
• Salt & Seasoning: Season from a modest height above the pan to ensure an even, uniform crystalline dispersion.

Follow these sequential steps with careful attention to sensory cues and cooking temperatures:

Step 1: Technique & Execution

1 bottled pickled onions and cornichons, (french sour gherkins, available at specialty foods shops and some supermarkets) for garnish Instructions Make the terrine: Pat the oxtails dry, season them with salt and pepper, and in a heavy kettle brown them in batches in the oil over moderately high heat, transferring them as they are browned to a platter or shallow baking pan

Step 2: Technique & Execution

To the kettle add the broth, the wine, the tomatoes with the juice, the onions, the carrots, the garlic, the bay leaf, and the oxtails with any juices that have accumulated on the platter, bring the liquid to a boil, and braise the oxtails, covered, in the middle of a preheated 325F. oven for 4 hours

Step 3: Technique & Execution

Transfer the oxtails with a slotted spoon to a bowl, reserving the liquid, let them cool, and remove the meat, discarding the bones and fat

Step 4: Technique & Execution

Strain the reserved cooking liquid through a sieve into a large bowl

Step 5: Technique & Execution

In another large bowl stir together the meat, the scallion, the parsley, the lemon juice, the pepper, and 2 cups of the cooking liquid until mixture is combined well, reserving the remaining cooking liquid

Step 6: Technique & Execution

Rinse a loaf pan, 9 by 5 by 3 inches, with cold water (do not dry it), spoon the oxtail mix ture into it, and add some of the reserved cooking liquid if necessary to just cover the oxtail mixture