A terrine  of this sort is a wonderful way to present vegetables if you desire a particularly elegant preparation. Of course, you could simply toss the ingredients together as a salad and get the same flavor. This dish marries the striking flavors of a few ingredients: carrots, dill, yogurt, shiitake mushrooms, and aged balsamic vinegar. The combination comes across with marvelous clarity, yet no one flavor dominates. The addition of Japanese togarashi provides a pleasant jolt to the palate.

Serves 4 to 6
8 bunches baby Belgian carrots
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and pepper
4 cups carrot juice
4 sheets gelatin
3 sprigs fresh dill, chopped
1 cup roasted shiitake mushrooms
1 small bunch blanched Swiss chard
1 cup Pickling Juice (see Appendices)
1/2 cup Yogurt Sauce (recipe follows)
1/4 cup julienned English cucumber
Dill Oil (see Appendices)
50-year-old balsamic vinegar
Togarashi

METHOD  Peel the baby carrots and cut off both ends. Toss with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and roast at 350 degrees for 20 to 30 minutes, or until tender. In a small saucepan, simmer 3 cups of the carrot juice for about 45 minutes, or until you have about 3 tablespoons of carrot reduction. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve. In a small saucepan, bring the remaining cup of carrot juice to a simmer, then strain. Place the gelatin in 2 cups of lukewarm water, let sit 2 minutes, then drain and squeeze out the excess water. Place the gelatin sheets in the hot carrot juice and allow to dissolve completely. This is your carrot aspic. Reserve 2 to 3 tablespoons of the aspic for later use. Chop 2 sprigs of dill and set aside.

Assemble the terrine by lining the mold (an 8 by 1 1/2 by 2 1/4-inch terrine mold is best, but other similar-size molds will also work) with a piece of plastic wrap large enough to hang over the edges of the mold. Dip the roasted carrots in the carrot aspic and lay them side by side in the lined terrine mold, forming the first layer; make sure that there are no gaps or holes. After you have completed the first layer of the terrine, season with salt and pepper. Continue the process, pressing firmly after each layer to ensure a solid structure. When you are halfway up the mold, sprinkle on half of the dill. Dip three-quarters of the roasted shiitake mushrooms in the aspic and lay over the layer of dill. Top with a final layer of dill, reserving about 1 teaspoon for garnish. Continue with 2 or 3 more layers of roasted carrots until you reach the top of the terrine mold. Cover with the overhanging plastic wrap and refrigerate for 3 hours, or until firm.

To make the wrap, blanch the Swiss chard in boiling salted water and shock in ice water. Carefully remove the whole leaves and remove the inner core with a knife. Blot on a paper towel and lay flat on a piece of plastic wrap, creating a single layer of Swiss chard the length and circumference of the terrine. Brush with a light coat of carrot aspic. Carefully unwrap the chilled terrine and invert it onto the bottom edge of the Swiss chard. Wrap the Swiss chard around the terrine, then wrap the whole terrine with the plastic wrap to help keep its form. Refrigerate until needed.

Let the remaining shiitake mushrooms steep in the Pickling Juice for 1 hour, then julienne and toss with 1 tablespoon of the Yogurt Sauce. Toss the cucumber with 1 tablespoon of Yogurt Sauce and season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove the terrine from the mold and cut in 1/2-inch-thick slices with the plastic wrap on (remove the plastic wrap before serving).

ASSEMBLY  Place a slice of the terrine in the center of each plate. At the top and bottom of the terrine, place a small mound of cucumber salad. At the sides of the terrine, place a small mound of pickled shiitake mushrooms. Drizzle the Yogurt Sauce around the terrine along with the Dill Oil, balsamic vinegar, and the carrot reduction. Place some fresh dill around the terrine and top with a sprinkle of togarashi.

Yogurt Sauce
Yield: about 10 tablespoons
1/2 cup plain yogurt
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 teaspoons minced gingerroot
1 jalapeo, seeded, stem removed, and minced
Salt and pepper

METHOD  Combine the ingredients in a small bowl and season with salt and pepper. Whisk until smooth.

Wine Notes

This attractive dish includes many bursts of contrasting textures and flavors. Initial tastings proved that wines of fairly high acidity, like a Premier Cru Chablis from Dauvissat and a halbtrocken Riesling from Selbach-Oster, allowed all these flavors to comingle. Another tasting, in which the spicy elements were more prominent, showed a lean Albarino from Morgadio to support the dish. Oaky wines are to be avoided.

Copyright 1999 Charlie Trotter's.