Serves a Crowd

Peaches and Cava Terrine

by:
June 28, 2011
0
0 Ratings
  • Serves 8
Author Notes

If you're like me, you grew up surrounded by jello salads studded with fruit cocktail or crushed pineapple at every family get-together or potluck -- or if you're lucky, maybe the more sophisticated aspic mold. I'd practically written them off as a category of food, but I guess nostalgia kicked in and convinced me to give them another try. I decided to take my jello mold in a more grown-up direction, ditching canned fruit in sticky syrup and sneaking in some bubbly. I liberally adapted a terrine recipe from Gourmet that features mixed fruit and prosecco, but I've taken a detour to Spain by macerating fresh peaches in sherry, using cava instead of prosecco, dialing back the sugar, and adding orange peel and honey for depth of flavor. In the spirit of summer, the only step that requires the stove is making the aspic (and that takes just a few minutes) – and from there, all you need to do is assemble the terrine, which couldn't be easier. The result is a light, refreshing, and absolutely beautiful summertime side dish or dessert. It can be easily transported to a picnic or potluck in its pan -- just wait to unmold it once you're there.

EmilyC

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Ingredients
  • 4 cups thinly sliced peaches, from about 5 medium-sized peaches; no need to peel
  • 2 tablespoons sherry
  • 1 tablespoon unflavored gelatin
  • 2 cups cava
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 1 tablespoon orange juice + 3 long strips of zest, from 1 orange
Directions
  1. In bowl, combine peach slices with sherry. Let macerate while proceeding with Step 2.
  2. Sprinkle gelatin over 1/4 cup cava in a small bowl and let stand 1 minute to soften. Bring 1 cup cava to a boil with sugar, honey, and orange peel in a small saucepan, stirring to dissolve sugar. Remove from heat, and discard orange peel. Add gelatin mixture to saucepan, whisking until dissolved. Stir in remaining 3/4 cup cava and orange juice, then transfer to a metal bowl set in a larger bowl of ice and cold water. Cool mixture, stirring occasionally, just to room temperature.
  3. Arrange fruit in a 1½ quart terrine or loaf pan (e.g., 9”x5”) with a ceramic, glass, enameled, or nonstick surface.
  4. Slowly pour mixture over fruit, then chill, covered, until firm, at least 6 hours.
  5. To unmold, dip pan in a larger pan of hot water about 5 seconds to loosen. Invert a serving plate over terrine and invert terrine onto plate. Use a sharp knife to cut terrine into slices. (Terrine can be made up to 3 days in advance; unmold just before serving.)

See what other Food52ers are saying.

Recipe by: EmilyC

I'm a home cook. I love salads. Two things you'll always find in my refrigerator are lemons and butter, and in my pantry good quality chocolate and the makings for chocolate chip cookies.

8 Reviews

LeBec F. July 27, 2013
well if this isn't the darndest! Brilliant!
EmilyC July 28, 2013
Thanks LBF!
lapadia July 17, 2011
This is beautiful, and with a little whipped cream...yum!
EmilyC July 17, 2011
Thanks, lapadia. You really can't go wrong with peaches and bubbly!
EmilyC June 30, 2011
Thanks, Midge!
EmilyC June 30, 2011
There was a comment from Midge here earlier. I'm not going crazy, I promise! : )
Sagegreen June 30, 2011
I noticed that a number of comments on recipes have vanished, maybe fatalities of the server crash?
Midge June 30, 2011
You're not crazy: I thought this looked fab!