It’s easy to find Christmas terrine recipes but I wanted to figure out how to incorporate terrines into the Christmas spirit and holiday season. I came up with seven ways to terrine your way into Santa’s good book and stay off the naughty list!

7 ways to get on Santa’s nice list with terrine:

1. Reserve an afternoon for self-care to make and/or eat your favourite terrine.
2. Give one as a gift.
3. Make a stunning contribution to Christmas dinner.
4. Pass terrine making onto the next generation.
5. Host a friendly terrine tasting competition.
6. Replace all-day sweets with all-day meats.
7. Level up your terrine making skills by trying a tricky recipe.

Now let’s look further into what kind of terrines I’m talking about, whether making terrines is enough to get on Santa’s nice list and ways you can implement each of these terrine-related ideas over your Christmas holidays. And, of course, I’ll include links to a few Christmas terrine recipes and roundups.

What kind of terrines are we talking about?

A terrine is a forcemeat dish cooked in a terrine, also known as country-style pâté. A smooth pâté cooked in a terrine also qualifies as a terrine. As do terrines surrounded by pastry which are called pâté en croûte and terrine en croûte. Of course, there are even vegetable and dessert terrines.

For the purpose of this article, you can insert your favourite terrine into any of these activities. Or truly, since this is about aligning your fondness for forcemeat with the Christmas spirit, you could replace terrine with your favourite forcemeat concoction. You can get on Santa’s good list just as easily by doing these activities with not just terrines but sausages, galantines, rillettes, etc.

Does making terrine at Christmas automatically get me on Santa’s nice list?

The most important thing to remember about getting on Santa’s nice list is that it’s a year-round activity. If you’re a mean jerk for 51 weeks of the year, doing my seven terrine ideas over the Christmas holidays won’t take you off the naughty list for the current year. But, even if you’ve been naughty all year, you can decide to turn yourself around at any time and get on the Santa’s good list.

And, of course, mostly being nice but sometimes slipping up—like when your friend asked if she looked fat in that dress and you paused more than three seconds before saying, “You look strong”—can be overcome by doing good deeds.

Santa’s Letter Elf on the Love Santa website says, “We’re human so we make mistakes and sometimes are not so nice. But the best way to make up for any mistakes or naughty things is to do some good deeds whenever we get the chance.”

Santa’s Letter Elf also says that kids in Australia get on Santa’s nice list by doing things like:

• Being reliable and honest.
• Using good manners.
• Being a great sibling.
• Not having temper tantrums.
• Helping other people.
• Smiling and being kind.

Plus, a whole lot more.

It’s not that hard to get on Santa’s nice list with consistent behaviour year-round. While I can’t guarantee that spreading good cheer with terrine will get you on Santa’s nice list, my gut tells me it will certainly help.

So, let’s get to it!

Santa’s nice list activity #1: Take an afternoon off for self-care and make a terrine

At first glance this activity may seem more selfish than selfless but that’s not the case at all. Let’s look at why self-care matters and then talk about terrines.

According to Psych Central, “Self-care is any activity that we do deliberately in order to take care of our mental, emotional, and physical health.”

The benefits of self-care include:

• Reducing levels stress and anxiety.
• Developing and maintaining a positive relationship with yourself and others.
• Being better able to cope with the ups and downs of life.

Harvard Health recommends these four self-care activities:

1. Getting regular physical activity that you enjoy – Whether it’s walking, yoga, weightlifting or running around after your kids or dogs, moving your body burns off the stress.
2. Eating well – Reducing the amount of sugar and processed carbohydrates you eat reduces inflammation. [Harvard Health promotes plant-based diets and while my opinion on that differs, we have the same recommendation about eating less sugar and processed junk food.]
3. Calming your mind – The mind can make us crazy in the coconut if we let it run rampant with worries and what ifs. Meditation, gratitude and focusing on what’s right with the world can help you train your mind away from worry.
4. Sleeping well – Not sleeping well makes you irritable, less able to focus, reduces your ability to cope with stress and can lead to anxiety and depression. Not to mention, wrinkles. Aim for 7-9 hours of sleep per night and if this isn’t happening for you, visit the National Sleep Foundation to learn more about sleep hygiene and how to get a good night’s sleep.

Now that we’re both sure that self-care isn’t selfish (it helps you be a nicer person!), let’s talk about incorporating terrine into an afternoon (or morning, or entire day) of self-care. One caveat: If you don’t like making or eating terrine, this would be more of a self-torture activity so do something else. [And stop reading this article, ha ha.]

Instructions for enjoying a self-care date with yourself and your favourite terrine:

Step 1: Go through your favourite cookbooks or recipe sites for a terrine recipe that inspires you

If you work on the computer too much in regular life, you may want to keep this as an offline experience to reduce the temptation to check your email or do other mindless activities that will drain you.

You can choose a new recipe or your favourite one; it’s up to you. The most important thing is choosing one that gives you joy. The second most important thing is to choose a recipe that’s compatible with the terrine equipment you have (or that you’re comfortable making substitutions).

Step 2A: Go get the terrine ingredients

Personally, I love grocery shopping so this is a relaxing activity for me. If you find grocery shopping an excruciating chore, I suggest stocking up on common terrine ingredients ahead of time so you can skip this step during your self-care time.

Step 2B: Visit your local charcuterie station (optional)

If you want to eat terrine on your self-care date, you’ll need a plan B because so many terrines require cooling and weighting (and waiting) before you can eat them. Which means they won’t be ready to eat during your self-care date. So, stop by your local charcuterie emporium (mine is the local butcher shop) and pick yourself up a few slices of terrine to bring back home. You can skip this step if you already have a stash at home or if you don’t want to eat terrine (what?) on your blissful afternoon of self-care.

Step 3: Ease into the relaxation with ABBA and some dark roast

Now that you’re prepared with your terrine ingredients, set the mood with some tunes and your favourite drink. It doesn’t have to be Dancing Queen and espresso. It can be whatever moves you. Though, if your chosen drink is booze-based know that alcohol is tricky when it comes to self-care; it can help you feel relaxed but if you have anxiety issues, it can exacerbate anxiety.

Step 4: Make your terrine and tidy up

Follow the recipe, stick it in the oven and wash up.

Step 5: Reward yourself with a snack or other enjoyable activity

If eating terrine is part of your self-care activity, now’s the time to do it. Set yourself up with a ploughman’s lunch and a good book or your favourite TV show and enjoy some nibbles. If you’re not hungry, omit the ploughman’s lunch and finish up with another enjoyable activity.

Step 6: Enjoy your homemade terrine for days to come

One great thing about making terrine as your self-care activity is that you can eat it for days afterwards. Perhaps you’ll even come to associate eating terrine with feeling relaxed!

Taking care of yourself makes it easier to be nice to the people you love so make it a regular part of your week—with and without terrine—because this can help you stay on Santa’s nice list.

Santa’s nice list activity #2: Give a terrine as a gift

As you know, terrines can look amazing and taste great, even if you choose a recipe best suited for a terrine beginner (which is what I am, that’s for sure). Making a terrine for someone is super thoughtful (which Santa appreciates) so long as you really do think about it.

Step 1: Decide on the terrine recipient

Decide who to make a terrine for by asking yourself these questions:

• Who loves terrines specifically?
• Who is a meat fan?
• Who has food allergies or dietary preferences that are not compatible with terrines?
• Who would love this gift?
• Who will I be visiting soon?

I recommend making a terrine for someone who will appreciate it rather than trying to change someone’s mind about terrine (do that over a slice in a ploughman’s lunch, not by giving them a whole terrine).

Step 2: Decide on the terrine

Once you know who you’re making the terrine for, decide which terrine you’ll make. Unless you’re a wizard in the kitchen, I wouldn’t experiment here. Instead, go for a tried and true recipe. If you do want to test one out, make two smaller terrines (or a double batch of the new recipe); this way, you can taste test one terrine to make sure the other one is tasty enough to give away.

Step 3: Make the terrine

Follow the recipe from beginning to end. Remember to factor in the pressing and/or resting time many terrines need in the fridge.

Step 4: Present the terrine to the gift recipient

While you can serve terrine directly from the terrine mold, this is something to do in your own home, not for a gift. Once you’ve invested in a terrine mold, you probably don’t want it to leave the house. And if you give a terrine to someone in the mold, you’ll have to awkwardly say you need the dish back. And when will that be? And what if the other person lives out of town or runs off with the circus? Avoid this uncertainty and release the terrine before giving it as a gift.

After you remove the terrine from the terrine dish, you’ll have a beautiful meat rectangle. But putting it on a paper plate covered in cling wrap simply won’t do. Find a nice cutting board or platter to put it on and choose something you’d be happy to never get back. If you’re going to make a habit of giving away terrines, get a few decorative or retro plates or platters from the thrift store to use for this purpose.

Step 5: Bask in the glory of being a kind person

Your terrine recipient will be glad to receive such a delicious gift, but did you also know that the act of giving makes the giver happy too? Double whammy!

Santa’s nice list activity #3: Make a stunning contribution to Christmas dinner

When there’s a big Christmas dinner, you must be thoughtful about your contribution. You can’t bring something that requires heating up—especially in the oven—because that adds stress to your host or hostess who’s already got all stove elements and oven space accounted for. You don’t want to (or I don’t want you to, ha ha) bring something store bought because it screams, “I don’t care.” [Unless it’s a specialty item from a specialty place that everyone goes crazy for, like those fried cod fillets my mother-in-law buys from a secret Portuguese bakery.]

Terrine fits in as a thoughtful addition to the Christmas dinner because it’s served cold and all you need to go with it is a knife and a baguette.

If there’s a vegetarian or vegan coming to Christmas dinner, you could make a vegetarian or vegan terrine to up the wow factor in the veggie section of Christmas dinner.

The steps for bringing a terrine to Christmas dinner are the same as in the previous section so instead of repeating them here, I humbly request that you scroll back a bit to have a look.

If your terrine is a hit at Christmas, you might have started a tradition. For example, there’s one thing that you can count on at my sister-in-law’s Christmas gathering: There will be broccoli bake.

Santa’s nice list activity #4: Pass terrine making onto the next generation

Going to someone’s house for Christmas or having them over is often a multi-day affair. Sometimes, you just don’t know what to do with yourself other than eat, watch TV, snack and try out novelty coffees like eggnog latte and Abominable Snowbrew.

Instead of gorging and napping, why not do something fun in the kitchen with your niece, nephew or little cousin? Making a terrine together is a great way to spend time together, while passing along the joy of cooking—and specifically terrine—to the next generation.

But remember, the purpose of this activity isn’t making a terrine; it’s making memories. This means you must be sensitive to the interests and palate of your young audience. A wild game terrine with brandy-infused juniper berries isn’t on the agenda.

Step 1: Choose a kid-friendly terrine recipe

Choose a terrine recipe with simple flavours kids already know and like. If the kid in question is hesitant, help them relate terrine to something they already know. You could say, “It’s like a meatloaf wrapped in bacon.”

Here’s a terrine recipe from Kid Spot Kitchen labelled easy: Simple Christmas terrine.

If that doesn’t entice the kid to spend quality time with you, adapt quickly and move onto dessert terrine options. That’ll get ’em!

Step 2: Read the recipe together and decide on how you’ll work side by side

Start by asking the kid, “Which steps would you like to do?” Then guide the process so they know what to do but don’t feel like you’re bossing them around on Christmas. This should be fun for both of you but you’re the adult and it’s up to you to put limits in place, for safety and sanity.

If you want the kid to be part of the clean-up process, set that expectation now. You can say, “How shall we take care of the clean up?” (though this open-ended question could leave clean-up with you) or, “Which part of the clean-up will you do?”

Step 3: Make the terrine and tidy up

Follow the recipe and chit chat along the way. Just have fun! And during the clean-up time, don’t be too fussy about it. Expect the kid to do a crap clean-up job and be okay with it. This is about spending time together, not about nagging or trying to drill the finer points of wiping the counter into a seven-year-old. Set age-appropriate cleaning standards and act like the clean-up is simply part of your fun project rather than a chore.

Step 4: Invite the kid to show off the terrine to other family members

When it’s done (or almost), let the kid show it off to the rest of the family. They’ll be so proud of the creation and that you wanted to spend time together on such a fun project. At least until they become difficult teenagers, ha ha.

I guarantee that making any sort of terrine with your young family member will be more fun than the time I let my niece make blueberry pancakes and create a purple disaster all over my kitchen.

And remember, making terrine together puts two people on Santa’s nice list!

Santa’s nice list activity #5: Host a friendly terrine tasting competition

The holidays are a great opportunity to catch up with old friends and having a friendly competition can help everyone get excited about stepping away from their pajamas.

Step 1: Invite your friends and tell them how to participate

The first thing to consider is how much your invitee list knows about terrine. If they’re terrine enthusiasts like you, that’s great. If not, you’ll probably want to put in some extra effort to find easy terrine recipes to share with your guests for inspiration. Let them know it’s perfectly fine to make a terrine in a meatloaf pan or rectangular Pyrex dish and that you’ll provide the terrine accoutrements such as gherkins, bread, etc.

Encourage them to plate their terrines nicely and bring a little pop-up card that has the terrine name and ingredients written on it.

Step 2: Prepare for the competition with ballots and prizes

Take a few minutes to create and print out ballots. The ballots can be quick and easy; for example, I made this mock-up in Word in just a few minutes. Decide on the rules and ranking. For the example below, each person would rate each terrine on a scale of one to five and then you’d tally up the results at the competition.

Terrine	Terrine rating (5=best)
Terrine A	①②③④⑤
Terrine B	①②③④⑤
Terrine C	①②③④⑤
Terrine D	①②③④⑤
Terrine E	①②③④⑤
Terrine F	①②③④⑤

Choose three modest prizes that you’ll give away at the end of the terrine competition for gold, silver and bronze terrines. Maybe get a fourth as a backup (in case third place is a tie).

Step 3: Host the terrine competition

After all the terrines are set up, label the ingredient cards with a letter (to match the ballots). Start the competition before people start snacking on the competition terrines. You could have a free for all, where each person gets a piece of a terrine and rates it on their own time. Or you could slice up pieces of terrine A, pass them around for tasting and then move onto terrine B. The format you choose depends on how much room you have and how much of a control freak you are. However, it’s good to have a system in place so everyone’s terrine gets its moment in the spotlight.

After you’ve tallied up the winners, do a presentation with as much flair as you’d like and snap a few pictures Keep it lighthearted because this is for fun and camaraderie, not a cutthroat competition. A cutthroat terrine competition won’t get anyone on Santa’s nice list!

Step 4: Send a thank you note or email to everyone who submitted a terrine into the competition

Send a quick thank you message that includes a few pictures of everyone enjoying terrine and reiterate how grateful you are to be able to spend time with friends while eating terrine and having fun.

Step 5: Repeat next year!

Or maybe next year it will be rillettes. The important thing is the camaraderie, not which forcemeat delight is part of your gathering.

Spreading joy helps keep you and others on Santa’s nice list.  

Santa’s nice list activity #6: Replace all-day sweets with all-day meats

Has this ever happened to you over the Christmas holidays? You go to your family’s house and every surface is covered in sweets. Lindt balls, sugar cookies, gingerbread cookies, chocolate covered pretzels, Portuguese custard tarts, brandy beans and more! And they render you powerless. The Lindt balls scream at you, “Resistance is futile!”

I’m not saying you can eliminate all of this from someone else’s home, but you can use your terrine making skills to expand the snacking options to include something that’s actually good for you. [If this is your first time at Forcemeat Academy, you might not know my position on meat: it’s good for you. For more info on that, read Nina Teicholz’s excellent book, The Big Fat Surprise: Why Butter, Meat and Cheese Belong in a Healthy Diet.]

Put out slices or cubes of terrine with cheese, bread and pickles for grazers to enjoy. Or, if you’re feeling inspired (or stir-crazy) you can make a deluxe charcuterie board. FYI: I wrote about charcuterie platters in my article called, Serving Terrine 101: How to Easily Create a Stellar Spread.

Making it a little easier for you and your family to not eat sweets—or not only eat sweets—for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks is a helpful thing to do. And that’s something your blood sugar level and Santa can appreciate.

Santa’s nice list activity #7: Level up your terrine making skills by trying a tricky recipe

In his article called, The Importance of Learning, Dr. Rick Hanson—a psychologist specializing in positive neuroplasticity—says that, “Learning is the superpower of superpowers, the one that grows the rest of them.”

And while you can learn stuff through reading, learning by doing tends to cement lessons in. Plus, you simply won’t get good at something without doing it.

If you’re like me and you gravitate to simple forcemeat recipes, that’s totally fine for every day because there’s more to life than spending hours in the kitchen. But you and I won’t learn more about the art of forcemeat if we stay in our comfort zones.

The Christmas holiday is a great opportunity to try making a more complex terrine recipe.

Perhaps you’ll pull out your bowl of ice and meat grinder, instead of using minced pork from the butcher shop.

Maybe you’ll try a terrine en croûte for the first or tenth time.

Or maybe you’ll try the “HARDEST Food Wars Recipe: Rainbow Terrine,” like they did on the Feast of Fiction YouTube channel.

For this activity, it doesn’t matter which terrine recipe you try—so long as you think it will give you some trouble or be somewhat of a pain in the you-know-what.

The point here is to stretch out of your comfort zone and become a new person who has one more accomplishment on your list. Even if doesn’t turn out as you hoped, trying something new helps you learn and grow.

“Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young.”

Henry Ford

And since learning falls into self-care and self-care makes it easier to be kind to yourself and others, you know that creating a difficult terrine will give you points on Santa’s nice list.

Quick list of ingredients that give terrine a Christmas feeling

Okay, now that we’ve gone over seven ways that terrine can help you stay on Santa’s nice list, it’s time to talk about terrine ingredients that have the Christmas feeling.

Ingredients that give terrines the flavour of Christmas include:

• Turkey.
• Duck.
• Guinea fowl and other game.
• Cranberries.
• Orange juice and/or zest.
• Sour cherries.
• Pistachios.
• Juniper berries.
• Prunes.
• Sherry.
• Brandy (though that’s a common ingredient all year round).

Let me know if I’m missing any Christmas flavours you use in your Christmas terrines.

Christmas terrine recipe roundup

The best terrine to make at Christmas is a terrine you’re excited about making, even if it’s not laced with cranberries and orange zest.

But if you do want some Christmas themed terrines, they’re easy to find. Still, I’ve gathered a short list here to get you started.

Olive Magazine’s Christmas terrine recipe roundup

Article name and link:

Best ever pâté and terrine recipes for Christmas

Why I’m including this:

They give this list of terrines one chef’s hat—which means they’re easy to make. (Perfect for six of the seven terrine activities to keep you on Santa’s nice list!)

A festive dessert terrine from Australia’s Delicious website

Article name and link:

Festive terrine

Why I’m including this:

I don’t even eat sweets anymore and yet I was dazzled by the picture. So dazzled by the picture, I’m willing to overlook that this dessert terrine has decorative golden balls on the top and yet there’s no mention of them in the recipe ingredients.

Chorizo and potato hot terrine

Article name and link:

Nigel Slater’s five Christmas pie recipes

Why I’m including this:

I seem to be nostalgic about scalloped potatoes and this recipe looks like scalloped potatoes layered with sausage. I’m guessing this would be a real crowd-pleaser.

Beetroot terrine recipe with goat’s cheese

Article name and link:

Best vegetarian Christmas recipes

Why I’m including this:

This is a roundup of vegetarian Christmas recipes which can come in handy when you’ve got vegetarians and/or vegans coming for dinner. Scroll down the list to find the colourful beet terrine recipe.

Conclusion

Okay, folks, that’s all I have to say on achieving the spirit of Christmas with terrine. I hope you’ve enjoyed reading it and I’ll see you on Santa’s nice list!