Radish Butter Terrine

The first time I read the word ‘terrine’ it was in Julia Child’s ‘Mastering the Art of French Cooking’ cookbook. That cookbook is one of my all-time favorites; my copy is covered in spills, dog-eared, and annotated- it is very much so loved. But the terrine section? Clean as a whistle. In her book terrines are essentially a variety of meatloaf dishes, which honestly didn’t interest me at all. And it wasn’t until years later that I realized that terrine, while commonly meat dishes, is actually the French word that refers to the stoneware dish that the meatloaves are cooked in and that a terrine doesn’t just have to be squashed meat. So, you add that to the joy that is the French staple, butter. And you get a Radish Butter Terrine.

I love France. I’ve been many times and each time I explore the country I eat something new and fabulous! But a staple that pops up every time I visit, no matter the time of year, is a radish-butter pairing. You’ll see it in a variety of dishes, but most commonly as a little French breakfast radish spread with a bit of fresh butter and a dusting of salt. I combined this French snack and the concept of a terrine to make a Radish Butter Terrine- something that is tasty in its simplicity but aesthetically beautiful!

Choosing Radishes

Like I said above, the most traditional radish you’d pair with butter is a French Breakfast Radish. But because they are only partially colored, you’ll get a more striking radish butter terrine result if you choose different radishes. I’ve had great results with Easter Egg Radishes, Purple Daikon Radishes, and the beautiful Watermelon Radishes! I’d stay away from black radishes though- while fun in theory, they tend to make the butter look as if it has molded!

Radish Butter Terrine Ingredients

Radish Butter Terrine Method

Make The Butter

We start by making a typical butter- I make mine in the bowl of a stand mixer, but you can do this by hand too if you have lots of time! Pour the heavy cream and salt into the bowl of the stand mixer and start mixing on medium. As the cream starts to thicken and stops splashing you can increase the mixing speed.

The cream will go through stages. First it will bubble then it will turn into whipped cream. Then the whipped cream will start to break and turn yellow- almost looking like it is curdling. Finally, the milk solids (butter) will separate from the buttermilk. Don’t forget to save this buttermilk! There are so many amazing recipes you can make with it!

Strain this butter-buttermilk combo through cheese cloth and then use your hands to squeeze out as much of the liquid as you can.

To get a butter that lasts longer (and is smoother so we can create the radish butter terrine) we need to ‘wash’ it. Fill a bowl with ice cold water and then use your fingers to manipulate the butter, the water will turn cloudy as the buttermilk separates. You can do this as few or as many times as you like- but I like to wash until the water runs practically clear.

Build The Radish Butter Terrine

Let the butter come up to room temperature so it is easier to work with, then line either a terrine or high-walled, heavy dish with parchment paper, leaving extra on the sides.

To prep the radishes top and tail (remove the stem and root ends) of any small radishes and cut larger radishes into log-like strips. What we are aiming for here is for the radishes to look pretty when cut into slices. You can chop things in half, quarter them, and the like to create interesting shapes when you’re cutting into the butter!

Start to fill your dish with butter. We need an outer edge of butter surrounding any radish pieces, so the radishes don’t fall out. So, start with a layer of butter on the bottom, then press a staggered layer of radishes into the butter layer. Fill the spaces on the outside and in-between each radish with butter.

Pop the whole terrine in the fridge to set. Then when you are ready to use the butter, carefully remove your butter ‘loaf’ from the parchment paper and use a sharp knife to cut into the butter, making sure to cut crosswise across the radish logs, into the butter creating patterned butter slices!

This butter won’t last as long as a traditional compound butter because the largely intact radish pieces. It is best if used within two weeks. However, if you find yourself not going through it quickly enough, toss the whole thing in a food processor to make a traditional compounded butter and transfer to a freezer-safe container and freeze!

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