Vegetable Terrine

Serves 8 to 10
Ingredients: 

White Bean Layer
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1 cup finely chopped yellow onions
4 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup canned white cannellini beans
¼ cup basil puree
1 whole egg
1 egg yolk

Tomato Layer
4 tablespoons ( ½ stick) unsalted butter
1 cup finely chopped yellow onions
4 medium-size tomatoes (about 1 and ½ pounds)
2 large garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
3 tablespoons Basil Purée
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon chili powder
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 whole egg
1 egg yolk

Leek Layer
6 tablespoons ( ¾ stick) unsalted butter
4 cups (about 8 medium-size) thinly-sliced, well-rinsed leeks, white part only
2 teaspoons curry powder
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
½ cup chopped fresh Italian (flat-leaf) parsley
2/3 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Salt to taste
1 whole egg
1 egg yolk

To Complete the Terrine
2 carrots
6 thin asparagus spears
12 large leaves of green cabbage (avoid the coarse outer leaves)
Unsalted butter

Directions: 

White Bean Layer
1. Melt butter in a small heavy saucepan or skillet over low heat. Add the onions, cover, and cook slowly until tender and lightly covered, about 20 minutes.
2. Add the garlic, salt, and pepper to the onions, and cook, uncovered, for another 5 minutes. Remove from the heat.
3. Rinse the beans and drain them well. Combine the beans, onion mixture, and basil puree in a food processor, and process until smooth.
4. Add the whole egg and egg yolk and process again until the eggs are completely incorporated. Transfer to a bowl, cover, and refrigerate until chilled.

Tomato Layer
1. Melt the butter in a small heavy saucepan or skillet over low heat. Add the onions, cover, and cook slowly until tender and lightly colored, about 20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, cut a small X in the bottom of each tomato and drop them into boiling salted water for 10 seconds. Remove with a slotted spoon, drop them into a bowl of ice water, and let cool. The skins will peel off easily when the tomatoes are cool. Cut the peeled tomatoes into halves crosswise, scrape out the seeds, and squeeze out and discard the juice. Chop the tomatoes and add them to the onions. Cook uncovered over medium heat, stirring often, for 20 minutes.
3. Add the garlic, basil purée, tomato paste, chili powder, and salt and pepper, and cook until the mixture is very thick, 15 minutes longer. Taste and correct the seasoning. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and cool to room temperature.
4. Beat the whole egg and egg yolk together in a small bowl and stir in the tomato mixture. Cover and refrigerate until chilled.

Leek Layer
1. Melt the butter in a small heavy saucepan or skillet over low heat. Add the leeks, cover, and cook slowly until very tender, about 30 minutes.
2. Add the curry powder, garlic, parsley, pepper, and salt, and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for another 10 minutes. Cool to room temperature.
3. Beat the whole egg and egg yolk together in a small bowl, and stir into the cooled leek mixture. Cover and refrigerate.

To Complete the Terrine
1. Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Have ready a large bowl of ice water.
2. Scrape the carrots and cut them lengthwise into quarters. Drop them into the boiling water and cook until very tender but not mushy. Lift from the boiling water with a slotted spoon and drop them into ice water.
3. Trim the woody ends from the asparagus and drop the spears into the boiling water. Cook until tender, remove from the boiling water with a slotted spoon, and drop them into the ice water.
4. Drop the cabbage leaves into the boiling water and press with a spoon to be certain they are submerged and cooking. Blanch them until they begin to become translucent, about 5 minutes. Remove the cabbage leaves from the boiling water with a slotted spoon and drop them into the ice water.
5. When all the vegetables are cool, drain them and pat dry. Lightly butter a 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf or bread pan. Trim the heavy ribs from the cabbage leaves. Line the loaf pan with the leaves, covering the sides, ends , and bottom, and overlapping the leaves slightly. Be sure you have 2 or 3 leaves left for the top of the terrine.
6. Preheat the oven to 3500 F. Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the water bath.
7. Remove the leek, tomato, and bean mixtures from the refrigerator. Stir the leek mixture to be sure the ingredients are well combined and spoon it into the bottom of the loaf pan. Smooth with a spatula and arrange lengths of carrot on top.
8. Stir the tomato mixture and spoon it on top of the leek mixture, being careful not to disturb the carrots. Smooth the tomato mixture and arrange the asparagus spears on top of it.
9. Finally, pour in the bean layer and smooth it. Rap the loaf pan several times on your work surface to expel any air bubbles. Cover the terrine with the remaining cabbage leaves, tucking the excess down the sides of the pan.
10. Wrap the loaf pan in aluminum foil and set it in a larger baking pan. Pour boiling water into the baking pan so that it comes about halfway up the sides of the loaf pan. Set the pans on the center rack of the oven and bake until the center of the terrine feels firm to the touch, 2 hours.
11. Remove the loaf pan from the hot water and unwrap it. Let it cool for 15 minutes, and then weigh it down by placing another loaf pan on top and putting a weight inside, such as canned goods or coffee mugs, until completely cool. Remove the weights, cover, and chill thoroughly.
12. To unmold, dip the pan briefly into hot water and run a thin knife around the sides of the pan. Set a platter upside down over the terrine and invert; the terrine will drop out onto the plate
13. Serve cold, sliced, and garnished with any of the sauces suggested in the headnote.