It is a classic from the kitchens of southwestern France and such a simple way to make a truly delicious terrine.

Place Cognac in a pot with herbs (stems on) and bring just to a boil. Take off heat and when cool squeeze out the herbs into the Cognac to extract all their flavour. Discard herbs.

Pour infused Cognac over duck breasts. Leave to marinate for about 1 hour. Mix mince with salt and pepper. Fill the base of a 6-cup terrine dish with half the mince mixture. Lift duck breasts out of infused cognac (reserving the liquid) and place the length of the terrine dish on top of the mince. Place rest of mince on top, pressing down firmly. Pour over reserved cognac and let sit to absorb for about 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 190°C. Bake terrine in a water bath for about 50 min or until it bounces back when pressed on top; if it is still squidgy, return to oven until cooked through. Juices may be lightly pink from the duck breast. Cool terrine and then weight down for several hours (I cover with tinfoil and sit a couple of cans on top). Chill for at least 48 hours before serving.

Enjoy the quality!