There’s a few steps to this one, but it’s oh so worth it. Especially if you’re going to a potluck (I won a prize at my very first potluck for the best dish, before I was a chef, with something similar to this), or having some friends over for dinner to show them what you can do.
If you want to make a simpler version, you could leave out the tapenade, leaving the sundried tomato and pesto layers, which are so full of flavour themselves, you’ll have an equally gorgeous dish on your hands.
Depending on the size of tin you use, you may well have some leftover, which is never a bad thing. Making up a salad of the leftovers, with some greens and maybe a little avocado and spiralised veg would be a fantastic little lunch. Or maybe this Butter Lettuce Salad.
Sundried Tomato, Olive, Pesto & Almond Cheese Terrine
Nutrition (For one serving)
Ingredients
Almond cheese
- 2 cups almonds soaked for 8 hours and peeled
- 1 cup water
- 1 tsp probiotics
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 2 tsp nutritional yeast
Pesto
- 1 cup basil
- 1/3 cup pine nuts
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp lemon juice
Sun-dried tomato pesto
- 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes
- 1 clove garlic
- 3 tbsp onion chopped
- 2 tsp balsamic vinegar or sub for apple cider vinegar
- 3 tomatoes medium size
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/4 tsp salt
Olive tapenade
- 1/2 cup black olives
- 1/2 cup green olives
- 1 tbsp capers optional
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp lemon juice
- 1/4 tsp black pepper or to taste
Instructions
Almond cheese
- The easiest way to peel almonds is to boil water in a kettle, then transfer to a bowl with the almonds in and leave for a minute or so. That way the skins will come off easily.
- Blend the almonds and probiotics with water in a high-speed blender until smooth.
- Place the mixture in a nut milk bag, in strainer with some kind of weight on top, such as a glass jar filled with water.
- Cover with a tea towel and leave to sit at room temperature for at least 24 but no longer than 48 hours.
- Once culturing is complete stir or process with salt and nutritional yeast
Pesto
- Pulse all ingredients in a food processor until broken down, but leave some texture to the finished pesto.
Sun-dried tomato pesto
- Blend all ingredients in a highspeed blender until broken down, but still a little chunky.
Olive tapenade
- Grind everything in a food processor, without making the pieces too small.
Assembly
- Line a small loaf tin with baking parchment cut to size. Most terrine recipes will use plastic wrap for this, but I’m not keen on having plastic wrap touch my food, because of the chemicals on the plastic.
- Start at the bottom of the pan with some cheese. You will be doing 4 layers of cheese, so it’s a great idea to split all the cheese you have into 4 equal parts.
- Next spoon in the olive tapenade, then more cheese, then the tomato, more cheese, pesto, and then the final layer of cheese.
- Place in the fridge for 24 hours to firm up, ready to cut and serve.
- Serve with a nice simple green leaf salad.
- This will serve 6 to 8 people, and will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Do you have a video for this recipe?
Hi Rebecca, we don’t have a video for this one right now, but I may well add one early in 2020.
wonderful Russell…. i love you and enjoy very much making many of your recipes….
Hello Russell. Thanks for these amazing recipe. I have some quastions:
What are probiotics and nutritious yeast? Can I make probiotics and nutritious yeast on my own or replace them with something or make cheese without it?
You can leave out the nutritional yeast and maybe add in some extra salt. But you’ll need probiotics to ferment the cheese. They can easily be bought online, or in health food stores as a supplement.
Hi Russell,
Amaizing recipe!
I will make it asap.
Do you put almonds in hot water after soaking or before?
Thanks!!!
Great! 🙂
Hot water after soaking.
How would you serve this?
Just with a simple green leafy salad.
Excellent Recipe. I love ’em!
Hi Russell,
thanks for the great looking recipe. I was wondering what you thought about making the cheese with brazil nuts or cashews. Organic almonds are so expensive right now!
All Brazil nuts would be too strong of a flavour. I have made half Brazil and half cashew, which was nice, but that type of cheese is too loose for this, unless it’s been aged for weeks. You could try macadamias.
One day soon I will be taking a few of your courses! I promise! I wanted to know if Olives are considered raw? I know you can buy some that specifically say ‘raw’ on the label, but they are 5X the money. Russell …. you are amazing. Downloading your podcasts now as well! Can’t wait to listen.
Hey thank, Jacqueline 🙂
Normal olives are not raw, no. But I’m pretty sure you’ll be OK with them 😉
I am new here. The recipe calls for 1tps probiotics. I have never used this, could you recommend brand or type.
Thanks
Yes, any probiotics will work. What country do you live in?
It seems to be tasty!
I can’t wait to make this for the next summer potluck here on Vancouver Island! Just wondering if it’s really necessary to dry the cheese in a ring mold and create a rind, if we’re proceeding to press it into layers in a tin? (Are the instructions to put it in a ring mold perhaps from the original recipe where we created a round/traditional-ish cheese?) Thanks for another mouth-watering recipe 🙂
Well spotted, Helene 🙂 No, you don’t need to do that stage, I’ve removed it from this recipe.