New Year's Duck Terrine

To prepare the New Year's Duck Terrine, mix the duck sausage, ground duck, chicken liver, 1 diced shallot, 3 minced garlic cloves, 1/4 cup chopped parsley, 1/4 cup Cognac, garam masala, 1/2 teaspoon ginger, ground juniper berries, 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, kosher salt to taste and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Gently mix by hand; cover and refrigerate 3-4 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a bowl, make a Panade by whisking together the breadcrumbs, eggs and 1/2 cup heavy cream and set aside. Lay the bacon strips out on a piece of parchment paper and stretch them lengthwise using the back of a chef knife to about 13 inches long, then lay 8 slices of bacon crosswise and close together into a bread loaf pan (9.25" x 5.25" x 2.75"). Lay the remaining 3 slices lengthwise in the pan.

Add the Panade mixture to the Terrine meat mixture and mix well. Spoon 1/2 of the Terrine mixture into the bottom of the bacon-lined pan, pressing it firmly into the pan. Lay 2 duck breast meat trim pieces end-to-end lengthwise down the center of the pan, then the remaining Terrine mixture, again, pressing firmly into the pan. Bring up the ends of all overhanging bacon strips to cover the top of the Terrine, lengthwise and then crosswise. Cut a piece of parchment paper to fit over the top and then cover tightly with foil.

Place loaf pan into a larger roasting pan and fill half of the way up with very hot water, creating a bain-marie. Place into the oven and bake for 2 hours, or until internal temperature in the center of the Terrine is 155 -160 degrees F. Uncover and pour excess fat out of the Terrine pan and reserve. Cool Terrine uncovered for an hour in the water bath, then remove and cool another hour. Weight the top by placing a piece of parchment paper and plastic wrap over the top, and then another pan of the same size as the first. Lay or stand heavy cans in the top pan and refrigerate the Terrine overnight.

To make Duck Fat Infused Whipped Cream, mix 1/2 cup warm reserved fat from Terrine into 1/2 cup heavy cream. Cover and refrigerate overnight. The next day, pour it through a fine mesh strainer, straining out the solids. Whip the strained cream, either by hand with a whisk or with an electric mixer, until it has soft peaks and add salt to taste. Cover and chill until needed.

For the Good Luck Black-eyed Pea Pesto, add 1/4 cup reserved Terrine fat to a skillet on medium. When hot, add 1 diced shallot and sauté for 1 minute. Add 2 large garlic cloves, minced, and 1/4 cup Cognac and cook until liquids evaporate. Remove from heat and add 2 tablespoons honey barbecue mustard, the black-eyed peas, 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, kosher salt to taste and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Stir-in remaining 1/2 cup chopped parsley and chill until needed.

To make the Ginger-Orange Honey Mustard Coulis, whisk together the orange marmalade, 2 tablespoons honey barbecue mustard, 1 1/2 tablespoon Cognac, 1/4 teaspoon ginger and 1/4 teaspoon cayenne. Cover and chill until needed.

Cut the bread on a diagonal into 1/2-inch thick slices and lightly brush both sides of each slice with remaining reserved Terrine fat. Place bread slices on a baking sheet and lightly toast in the oven at 375 degrees F for about 3-4 minutes per side. Slice Terrine into 18 1/2-inch thick slices. If using smaller baguette loaf, cut each Terrine slice in half to fit the bread. To serve, spread some of the Whipped Cream onto the toast, and then a spoonful of Black-eyed Pea Pesto. Top each with a slice (or half slice) of the Terrine and drizzle with the Coulis. Serve and enjoy!