Level up your citrus game with this stunning Mixed Citrus Terrine. Packed with the vibrant colors and fresh flavors of the season’s best citrus along with accents of thinly sliced mint leaves (a chiffonade), it’s as beautiful to look at as it is delicious and refreshing to eat. This gorgeousness is equally at home on a breakfast plate, a brunch buffet or as the crowning end to an elegant dinner. Make sure to take full advantage of all the color varieties of grapefruits and oranges available – ruby red, pink, and white grapefruits along with blood or red oranges – for the most striking and dramatic presentation.
While the recipe calls for only three ingredients – citrus, powdered gelatin and mint, I’ll admit the prep time is a bit long and it does need to be made well ahead of time to allow the gelatin to set. But don’t let that dissuade you, because this recipe is well worth the effort.
I first made this type of all-fruit terrine while working for the French chef Michel Guérard, and I’ve continued to make variations of it for years now. It’s fun to play around with different seasonal fruit but there are limits when working with gelatin.
Be forewarned: While almost any fruit can be subbed in for the citrus, the exceptions are pineapple, kiwi, papaya, mango, and guava. While delicious, these fruits have high levels of enzymes called proteases that prevent the gelatin from setting. While steering clear of these gelatin-killers, you can play around with whatever ripe, seasonal fruits are available. In place of the citrus juice, you can use sparkling wines or fruit juices for the liquids.
For the best flavor and presentation, I suggest keeping the liquid’s flavor mild and avoiding super dark colors that will dull the overall presentation and might even overpower the fruit flavors.
Kitchen Notes
Save the zest
Before starting the recipe, I suggest finely grating the fruits’ zests and saving them for future recipes. Working with one fruit at a time, grate the zest over a piece of plastic wrap. Using the blunt side of a table knife, carefully slide the zest into a pile, fold the plastic into small, individual packets, label and freeze in a container so they are at the ready to add to your next batter or savory sauce.
Switch up the citrus
Use all grapefruits or all oranges as you like. Use Cara Cara oranges in place of navel oranges. How many fruits you need will vary depending on the sizes of the fruit. Blood oranges yield a lower volume than navel oranges, so if you use all navel oranges, you will probably only need 4 or 5 in place of the total of 6 you would need if using both kinds. You can always buy an extra fruit or two – as long as you aim for a total volume of six cups of fruit sections (or enough to fill the loaf pan), you’re in good shape.
Make a strawberry variation
In place of one of the grapefruits, clean and hull six to eight strawberries. Fill the loaf pan about a third full with the citrus segments (with or without the mint). Lay the strawberries on their side down the middle, so that the tip of each one gently snuggles into the hulled end of the next one. Pile the remaining segments into the pan to fill the pan completely. Spread evenly and proceed with the recipe.
Add pomegranate seeds
Use a few tablespoons of pomegranate seeds in place of the sliced mint leaves. (Note, in the photos, rose-scented geranium leaves were used in place of mint.)
