When I went looking for simple terrine recipes, I wondered if terrine was gluten-free by design or if major substitutions would be necessary. Since I didn’t know if terrine is gluten-free, I decided to do some research and write a helpful post on how to enjoy terrine, even on a gluten-free way of eating. Delish!
Is terrine gluten-free? Yes and no.
While many traditional terrines are gluten-free by design, other recipes call for flour or a panade, which is made of bread, breadcrumbs or crackers. These glutenous ingredients are used to absorb fat in the terrine. Gluten-free terrines are made with gluten-free panade, eggs, heavy cream and/or gelatin.
Many people want to stay away from gluten and other grains which can make it more difficult to enjoy many terrine recipes. But if you understand why bread is added to terrine recipes, how to make good substitutes and recipes to look for that don’t require gluten substitutes, you can enjoy terrines whether your way of eating is gluten-free, grain-free, keto or carnivore.
Making terrines with and without gluten
Terrines that contain gluten are typically made with these ingredients:
- Meat, such as pork and game.
- Spices, including juniper, mace and allspice.
- Port, brandy or wine.
- Heavy cream.
- Eggs (to help the terrine stick together).
- Bacon, caul or thin slices of fatback (to wrap the terrine in before cooking).
- Breadcrumbs and milk (to make a panade) or a few tablespoons of flour.
(Terrines can also be made with fish, seafood and vegetables though these types of terrine require much more spicing than traditional terrine or they’ll be too bland.)
Terrines that do not contain gluten are typically made with the ingredients above except the panade.
Gluten-free terrine substitutions can include:
- Gluten-free bread, breadcrumbs or flour.
- Oats.
- Corn meal (this has a strong flavour so if you don’t like cornbread, you might not like this substitution).
- Potatoes.
- Mushrooms (According to the Serious Eats Food Lab, mushrooms are, “Just like breadcrumbs, they prevent the meat proteins from interlocking, increasing tenderness while simultaneously adding flavor … They’re so much like bread that I treat them exactly the same way—grind them in the food processor and add them to the raw mix, no parcooking necessary at all!” This quote was about meatloaf but I’m guessing it applies to terrines as well.)
- Gelatin.
- Pork rinds (ground up and mixed with milk to make a panade).
If you search for easy and traditional terrine recipes, you’ll find that many of these terrine recipes are gluten-free—but they don’t advertise that they’re gluten-free. To me, this indicates that traditional terrines are often gluten-free by design. This means that to enjoy gluten-free terrines, it’s probably better to spend your efforts finding gluten-free recipes than transforming terrine recipes that include gluten into gluten-free recipes.
For example, in Brian Polycyn and Michael Ruhlman’s book, Pâté, Confit, Rillette: Recipes from the Craft of Charcuterie, about half their terrine recipes contain bread or flour and about half of the recipes are already gluten-free. Their Chicken Liver Terrine recipe contains only these seven ingredients: chicken livers, eggs, Madeira wine, orange zest, sugar, pepper and heavy cream. In this recipe, everything is blended in a food processor and cooked. The eggs and the cream give this terrine a “sliceable, custard-like texture.”
Further review of their terrine recipes gave me a clue about why and when bread or flour are used. Many of their terrine recipes that include bread or flour also include a bunch of cooked vegetables beyond minced garlic and shallots. It doesn’t hold true for all the recipes but it’s definitely a trend. So, if you don’t want a glutenous terrine, consider recipes that don’t include (or are light on) the cooked vegetables. For example, their elegant lobster terrine is gluten-free, and the vegetable content is limited to four tablespoons of chopped chives and dill.
What is a panade and why do some terrine recipes include it?
A panade—also called panada—is a mixture of starch and liquid. The starch component is typically bread, breadcrumbs, Panko (airy Japanese-style breadcrumbs) or crackers. The liquid is generally milk, buttermilk, cream, heavy cream, bechamel sauce and/or yoghurt. Once mixed, these two ingredients form a paste.
In forcemeat recipes—such as terrines and meatloaves—the panade acts as a binder, absorbs fat and helps the emulsification process. (Emulsifying is when ingredients that don’t usually mix well are combined without separating, for example oil and water. Terrines are quite fatty and often have watery ingredients like wine or port so I can see how emulsification is handy.)
A panade can also enhance the smoothness of a terrine (though terrines that go through the food processor get fairly smooth by mechanical means.) Many people swear by panade for making tender meatballs and meatloaves.
The Culinary Cook, a Red Seal Certified chef with 15 years of professional experience, suggests that a panade “should not make up more than 20% of the total weight” of the terrine mix.
While panades do important things in cooking, they’re not required for terrines. This is good news for the gluten-free crowd because terrines are delicious!
My experience with gluten-free panade substitutions
I’ve used gluten-free panades for meatloaf for many years and I think this experience would translate well to terrines. Oats have never failed me, and I’d say they make a perfect substitute, and they’re invisible if you grind them up first.
I’ve used potatoes to bind together Portuguese cod cakes so that might translate well into terrine, but I haven’t tried it. However, I found a recipe online, Gluten-free Ham Hock and Potato Wedge Terrine, that uses one kilo of “Aviko Mega Wedges” as a binder. The terrine looks like it might fall apart easily but that’s not the end of the world, is it? (And I could be wrong about it.)
I’ve never tried cornmeal in terrine or meatloaf but that would probably work well, if you love the taste of it.
My panade experimentation grew a couple of years ago when I stopped eating oats, grains and vegetables. Since then, I’ve used ground pork rinds for a panade in meatloaf. Most of these experiments have failed (perhaps because of not using enough for the recipe) but my last one turned out perfectly (except that I used stale pork rinds, so it tasted stale (oops!), but the texture was great).
What’s the purpose of eggs in a terrine?
In a terrine, eggs add flavour and moisture while helping the mix bind together and hold its shape. The egg whites help keep the structure in place and the egg yolks act as emulsifiers, just like a panade.
What does gelatin do in a terrine?
Gelatin helps ingredients bind together. It can also give terrines a rich texture and, if you use enough, a gelatinous jiggle. Gelatin is a common ingredient in uncooked fruit and vegetable terrines that need something to hold it together and in low-fat (gasp!) varieties, such as the Jellied Chicken and Coriander “Terrine” highlighted on the Epicurious website.
If your terrine looks like jelly, it may be moving into the aspic territory, but the function of the gelatin remains the same.
Gelatin is also used in proper meat terrines, like in Jamie Oliver’s recipe for Ham hock terrine with apricot & parsley. If you search this recipe, you’ll see it looks like a terrine, not an aspic, even though it uses gelatin.
Which glutenous and gluten-free terrine binders need preparation?
Some binders you can add right to the bowl of ingredients while others need to be prepped ahead of time.
| What to do with it | The binder and how to use it | Gluten status |
|---|---|---|
| Throw it in! | Eggs (whites and/or yolks) • Add these ingredients directly to the meat mixture. | Gluten-free! |
| Prepare in a separate dish | Panade • Mix the starch and dairy liquid together and let sit for at least five minutes before adding it to the main mix. | Contains gluten unless you use a gluten-free substitute. |
| Prepare in a separate dish | Gelatin powder • “Bloom” the gelatin in a bowl with stock, water or milk for at least five minutes before adding it to the main mix. | Gluten-free! |
| Prepare in a separate dish | Gelatin sheets • “Bloom” the gelatin sheets in a cup of cold liquid that your recipe calls for (for example: stock, water or milk) and let it sit for five to 10 minutes before adding it to the main mix. | Gluten-free! |
Conclusion
In conclusion, not all terrines are gluten-free but it’s easy to find traditional gluten-free recipes that don’t require substitution experimentation (like my multiple failed meatloaves). So, go out there and enjoy terrines as part of your gluten-free, grain-free, keto or carnivore way of eating!