Easy Leftover Ham Spread Terrine

Ham spread terrine made with leftover ham, is elegant, delicate, and creamy. Decorated with herbs and flavored with cognac, it is very easy to make and you can make it days before your party. A quick way to turn leftover ham into a fancy cold ham appetizer.

Jump to:

• Paté and terrine
• Popular food out of necessity
• An easy, no bake, ham spread
• How to make it
• Gelatin and decorations
• How to serve it
• Variation and storage
• Tools you need
• Other appetizers you can serve it with
• 📋 Easy Leftover Ham Spread Terrine

Paté and terrine

Paté and terrine are a mix of ground meat, fish or vegetables flavored with herbs, spices and liqueurs. While the paté is usually a very smooth and fine paste, the terrine has chunkier pieces and can be alternated into different layers of meat.

The name terrine comes from the terracotta container where the paste is cooked. It has the shape of a loaf and often gelatin is added on top.

The most common paté are made with pork's, chickens' or ducks' liver, while terrine can be made with different cuts of meat and even wild games like wild boar, deer or venison.

Popular food out of necessity

Paté and terrine became very popular during the 18th century in Europe out of necessity.

Until then teeth caring was not regarded as an important aspect of a daily self care routine.

Most people would start to loose their teeth by the age of 40s, and as a consequence they couldn't chew regular food.

The discovery of the Americas and the increased import of sugar and chocolate into Europe made the situation even worst especially among the middle and lower class population.

Terrine and paté became a necessity as most people had no teeth. They were transformed into fancy dishes as they were served at all important banquets.

The rise and fall of the smile in 18th-century Paris A study in dentistry

An easy, no bake, ham spread

This ham terrine is very easy to make, it does not requires any baking and it can be made with ham leftover.

I usually buy a whole ham and slice it at home, it is much more convenient, less expensive and I can slice it as thin or thick as I like.

I do prefer Italian ham to the French one and I buy my whole ham on my monthly trip to the Italian market at the frontier.

When the ham becomes too small to be sliced without cutting my hands, I cut it in cubes and make this terrine.

How to make it

Preparing the ham spread

1. Cut the ham in cubes
2. Grind it and transfer it into a large bowl
3. Add the grated Parmesan cheese, the Cognac and season with salt and pepper
4. Mix everything with a blender

5. Whip the heavy cream until fluffy
6. Combine with the ham spread with a spatula

Hint: for a very quick cold ham spread appetizer you can serve the ham spread into a bowl or over some crostini.

Prepare the terrine

1. Cover the terrine bottom and sides with cling foil
2. Spread the ham into the mold making sure you are spreading it uniformly top to bottom without leaving any splits or opening where the gelatin can filtrate. Make sure the cling film is all the way to the top over the borders
3. Cover and put in the fridge while you prepare the herbs and vegetables for the decoration and the gelatin

Gelatin and decorations

The gelatin and the decorations are not strictly necessary for this recipe, the ham spread is very good even by itself.

However, they make the ham spread festive and special and they are not difficult to make.

Some people may not like the gelatin, and they can leave it aside in their plate.

What is gelatin

Gelatin is usually made by boiling animal bones and tendons. My homemade chicken stock will solidify and become gelatinous once in the fridge.

I could use it to make gelatin, but the chicken stock will have to be purified from all its particles to become nicely clear. It is not complicated but it requires extra time.

So while I do purify my stock if I am making a consomme, I usually use the commercial gelatin leaves for my paté and terrine.

The gelatin will have always the perfect consistency.

Types of gelatin

You can find 2 different type of gelatin: leaves and powered gelatin. They are the same thing, you can use either. Normally 1 leaf of gelatin is equal 1 teaspoon of powered gelatin, or 3 leaves equal 1 tbsp.

It is very important to use the exact amount of gelatin per volume of water otherwise the gelatin will be too liquid. Here I use 6 leaves for 2 cups - 500 ml of water.

The gelatin you buy usually does not have any flavor as it can be used for sweet as well as savory recipes.

To give it some color and taste I add ¼ of chicken stock, but not more than that otherwise the gelatin will be too foggy and you will loose the nice see-through effect of the herbal decoration.

Making the herbal decoration

To make my decoration I used red onion rings, parsley and cherry tomatoes. You can use your imagination and use any other vegetables or herbs.

Although, I do recommend making the design first on the cover of the terrine to make sure it looks good and nothing is missing.

Once you are happy with the design, lay it over the ham spread inside the terrine.

Pouring the gelatin over the decoration

You need to have the terrine and the decoration ready before you make the gelatin, as the gelatin will solidify as soon as it cools down.

The gelatin should be poured over the terrine as soon as it is ready.

However, the stream of the liquid gelatin can move the decoration, so it has to be poured gradually with a ladle and very slowly.

Once the gelatin is poured, cover the terrine and place it in the fridge moving it very slowly.

I would recommend to assemble the terrine on a table close to the fridge so you don't have to carry it for too long.

Once the terrine is in the fridge open the top and check that the herbs and the vegetables in the composition are still in place.

Making the gelatin

1. Soak 6 leaves of gelatin in cold fresh water, about 5 minutes
2. In the meantime you can decorate the ham terrine with herbs and vegetables
3. Drain the gelatin and melt it in 2 cups of warm water. Simmer until the gelatin is dissolved
4. Add ¼ of chicken cube to give it some flavor

5. While the gelatin is still warm, gently and gradually pour over the ham terrine, making sure the decoration doesn't move with the stream of the liquid
6. Cover and let it rest for at least 3 hours for the gelatin to solidify

Unmold and serve the ham terrine

1. Remove the bottom of the mold and put the terrine on the serving tray. The cling film will keep the terrine in place
2. Remove the top
3. Lift the cling film from the side
4. Remove the mold frame
5. Lower the cling film from the side of the terrine all the way down over the tray
6. Put the mold frame and top back on the terrine

5. Turn it upside down
6. Remove the tray and the cling film
7. Put back the tray and turn the terrine back straight
8. Remove the top and the frame of the mold and the terrine is ready to be served

How to serve it

You can serve this terrine as a cold ham appetizer or as a starter with some nice fresh bread or crackers.

Each guests can cut a thick portions of ham terrine and lay it on a slice of bread.

Variation and storage

If you don't have time to make the gelatin, you can serve the ham spread in a bowl.

The ham spread freezes well, so you can prepare it in advance and freeze it. Remove from the freezer the day before you want to eat it.

Tools you need

To make this terrine I use a Terrine Mold with double cover. You need the double cover if you want to make the decorated gelatin top.

My mold is 10'' x 4'' x 3'' - 25 cm x 10 cm x 7 cm, it is slightly bigger than the one on Amazon but it was not totally filled, so the one on the link will be big enough for this quantity. Although the shape is longer and thinner than mine.

It is a metal rectangular shape frame with removable top and bottom so it can be turned around and gelatin can add on either sides.

As I need to pour the liquid gelatin on top of the ham, I cover the mold bottom and frame with cling film.

So if the liquid filter through the spread, it will not spill out from the removable bottom of the mold.

Other appetizers you can serve it with

Here are other appetizers you can serve with the ham terrine:

• Romanesco cupcake
• Beef Sausage Hand Pie Recipe
• Brioche Sausage Rolls Recipe
• Rissole à la Dauphine Appetizer For A Buffet
• Vol Au Vent Also Called Bouchée à la Reine
• French Cheese Gougère Bourguignonne Appetizers

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