Sonoma goat cheese-potato terrine

Sonoma Goat Cheese-Potato Terrine

For the Terrine

Ingredients:

• 22 oz Laura Chenel goat cheese
  
• 1/4 cup finely chopped chives
  
• 1/4 cup clarified butter
  
• 2 russet potatoes 40 count, peeled and sliced 1/16-inch thick lengthwise
  
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
  

For the Beet Salad

Ingredients:

• 4 each baby beets, purple, golden & striped, roasted, peeled and cut quarters (see instructions)
  
• 1/8 cup extra virgin olive oil
  
• 1Tbsp finely chopped chives
  
• 1 tbsp Fresh Lemon Juice
  
• Kosher Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
  
• Micro arugula
  

For the Balsamic Reduction

Ingredients:

• 2 cup balsamic vinegar
  
• 4 sprigs of fresh thyme
  

To Prepare Terrine:

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
   
   
2. In bowl, mix together goat cheese and chives and reserve.
   
   
3. Dip potato slices in clarified butter and place on a non-stick silt pad or parchment paper on a cookie sheet. Season with salt and pepper. Then top with another silt pad. Bake covered for 5 minutes just so the potato is cooked, but pliable. Allow to cool.
   
   
4. Line terrine mold with plastic wrap.
   
   
5. Arrange overlapping potato slices in terrine, using enough potatoes to hang over edge of terrine.
   
   
6. Fill potato-lined terrine with first layer of goat cheese mixture 1 cup. Then add a layer of cooked potato, then another layer of goat cheese. Do this till a cheese is used.
   
   
7. Fold Overhanging potato slices over goat cheese mixture. Then cover with plastic wrap. Set terrine aside in refrigerator until chilled and set, about 24 hours.

To Prepare Beets:

1. Season beets with salt, pepper, extra virgin olive oil and fresh thyme. Wrap in aluminum foil to form small pouches. Roast at 375 degrees for 25 minutes.
   
   
2. Peel and cut beets. Season with extra virgin olive oil, lemon, chives, salt and pepper. Reserve.

To Prepare Balsamic Reduction:

1. In saucepan, combine vinegar and thyme.
   
   
2. Simmer until mixture is thick enough to coat back of a wooden spoon.
   
   
3. Cool to room temperature.

To Serve:

1. Unmold terrine and slice into 1/4-inch thick slices.
   
   
2. Heat non-stick sauté pan to high heat, season terrine with fresh black pepper and place into pan. Allow first side to turn golden brown about 12 second. Flip over and on to a room temperature plate.
   
   
3. Place beet salad next to terrine and top with micro arugula.
   
   
4. On plate, drizzle olive oil first then balsamic reduction. Serve.
   
   

The terrine referenced in this recipe is a cooking vessel that can be found at Sur La Table, Amazon, Le Creuset stores.

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About Josh Thomsen:

While some young boys dream of becoming astronauts or baseball players, Josh Thomsen's 6th grade yearbook listed "chef" as his career of choice. This New Jersey native credits his ambitions to his father Jerry, an accomplished amateur chef.

Recently named a "Rising Star Chef" by StarChefs, Thomsen is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in New York and honed his skills with some of the most prominent chefs in the country kicking off his career at the Hotel Bel-Air and Pinot Bistro in Southern California.

He then relocated to Aspen, Colorado to work at the Little Nell Hotel, a Relais Chateau property as chef de cuisine before moving to Napa Valley Wine Country to work at the French Laundry under Thomas Keller, whom he credits as a major influence on his career.

Then after spending two years in Napa Valley, Thomsen was drawn to the lights, action and many culinary hot spots of Las Vegas where he continued to build his resume at the exclusive "Mansion" at the MGM Grand Hotel as well as being executive sous chef at Michael Mina's Nobhill Tavern.

An opportunity as executive sous chef at The Lodge at Pebble Beach lured him back to the California coast and in a few years he was back on the strip as corporate executive chef for Innovative Dining Group overseeing the opening of three BOA Steakhouses - two in Las Vegas and a third in Los Angeles.

Before returning to California, he opened the 400-seat Tao restaurant at the Venetian Resort. In his role as executive chef at the Claremont Hotel, Club & Spa, Thomsen, oversees the food and beverage program, including hotel banquets operations, Paragon bar & café as well as the new Meritage restaurant.

Here, he offers a seasonal "farm to table" menu of contemporary California cuisine using many locally-sourced ingredients.

When he is not in the kitchen, he can be found watching his favorite baseball team, the New York Yankees, or his Dad's favorite football team, the New York Giants, while unwinding with his favorite cocktail, a Tanqueray & Tonic.

He is also a supporter of The V Foundation for Cancer Research and Keep the Memory Alive, a charitable foundation supporting research for Alzheimer's disease. He enjoys traveling the world to explore new cuisines and cultures having been to France, Switzerland, Italy, Mexico and Russia.

Meritage at the Claremont
41 Tunnel Road
Berkeley, CA 94705
Phone: (510) 549-8510
Website: www.meritageclaremont.com