Toasted malt loaf with pressed ham terrine & spiced apple compote

Method

• step 1

  To make the terrine, put the ham hocks in a large saucepan with the onion, bay leaves, cinnamon stick and peppercorns. Cover with water and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and cook gently for 2 hrs. Once the meat is cooked, take the pan off the heat and leave to one side to cool.

• step 2

  When cold, remove the ham hocks from the pan, then strain 300ml of the cooking liquid through a fine sieve and pour it into a saucepan. Put the gelatine in a bowl of cold water to soften for around 5 mins, then drain. Heat the cooking liquid until simmering but not boiling, then remove from the heat and add the softened gelatine leaves. Stir well and leave to cool.

• step 3

  Take the ham from the bones and chop into small pieces. Line four x 200ml ramekins with cling film and add a third of the cooked ham to each to form the base layer. Pour over a little of the gelatine liquid, then sprinkle in a layer of parsley. Next, add another third of the ham and some more gelatine liquid. The next layer should be the tarragon, followed by the remaining ham and the rest of the gelatine liquid. Once all the layers are complete, cover the surface of each terrine with cling film, then a layer of foil. Put in the fridge with some weights on top – I put another ramekin on top of each terrine with an onion in it to weigh it down. Leave to set and compress in the fridge for about 2 hrs.

• step 4

  For the apple compote, peel, core and dice the apples. Put them in a saucepan with the butter, 4 tbsp water and the spices. Cook gently until softened. Remove the cinnamon stick, star anise and cloves, and stir in the sugar. Heat gently until the sugar has dissolved. Set aside.

• step 5

  Make the vinaigrette dressing by whisking the tarragon with the vinegar and slowly adding the olive oil. Season to taste.

• step 6

  Put the 25g butter in a non-stick frying pan and heat until foaming. Drop in the cubes of malt loaf and fry for around 2 mins, turning regularly, to lightly brown on all sides.

• step 7

  To serve, turn out a terrine onto each plate and carefully remove the cling film. Add spoonfuls of the apple compote and the cubes of toasted malt loaf. Drizzle a little of the tarragon dressing over the plate and terrine to complete the dish.