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Chicken liver parfait

Serve with figs, grapes and herb salad and whole-wheat bread

Make this silky and rich parfait at least a day in advance if possible so the flavors can fully develop and mature.  Go to the extra trouble with the sieving by pushing the mixture through twice.  This will guarantee the parfait’s smooth and delicate texture.

Chicken liver pave

For the parfait:
1¾ cup milk
400 g/14 oz chicken livers, trimmed
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium shallot, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 sprig of thyme
3 tablespoons brandy
3 tablespoons port
3 tablespoons of Madeira
50 g/1.8 oz clarified butter*, melted
3 eggs
1 egg yolk
salt and freshly ground black pepper
300 g/10.5 oz butter, melted (to seal the parfait)
balsamic glaze for drizzling

Clarified butter
This is butter that has had the whey and the milk solids removed which allows the butter to be heated to a higher temperature without burning.
To make clarified butter:
Heat the butter in a saucepan over medium heat.  As it melts, the butter will start sizzling as the water evaporates and the butter breaks up in three layers.  A sediment will form in the base of the pan, a froth will form on top and the clear butter in the middle. The sediment on the bottom should not go brown in the process and the froth on top has to be skimmed. Pour the butter through a sieve lined with cheesecloth to trap the milk solids. Store the clarified butter covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks or freeze it for 3 months.
When the recipe calls for foaming butter, do not use clarified butter because the impurities that you remove when clarifying, is in fact, what encourages the foaming.

For the garnish:
4 ripe figs
a few pitted grapes
micro herbs

whole wheat bread, thinly sliced

To make the parfait:

  • Soak the livers in the milk for at least four hours, then drain, rinse and pat dry. Discard the milk.
  • Heat the oven to 120°C/248°F. Grease a terrine mold and line with plastic film.
  • Heat the oil in a frying pan and add the shallot and garlic. Fry until translucent, then add the thyme.
  • Add the brandy and flambé, and when the flames have died down, add the port, Madeira and reduce by two-thirds.
  • Leave to cool slightly, then add the butter, eggs and the cleaned livers and season with salt and pepper.
  • Do not bring to a boil again, this is just to get all the ingredients up to the same temperature.
  • Discard the thyme.
  • Transfer the liver mixture to a food processor and blend until smooth.
  • Pour the blended mixture through a fine sieve, rubbing the mixture with the back of a ladle into a bowl.
  • Discard any solids left behind.
  • Pour the liver mixture into the mold, put a piece of tin foil over the top of the dish (it must not touch the liver mixture) and place the lid on top.
  • Put the dish into a roasting tin, fill it halfway with hot water, place on the middle shelf of the oven and bake for 45 minutes.
  • Test the internal temperature and if it has not reached 65°C/149°F, place it back into the oven for another 10 minutes and check it again.
  • When the parfait is cooked, remove it from the oven and leave to cool in the dish until it has reached room temperature.
  • Spoon the clarified butter over the parfait and decorate with herbs to your liking, pressing them lightly into the butter to adhere.
  • Place the mold in the fridge to set overnight.
  • The next day, place a large enough plate over the parfait and tip the board and plate over to leave the parfait on the plate with the decorated surface facing up.
  • Peel off the plastic film and discard.
  • Return the terrine to the fridge until ready to serve. This will keep for up to 3 days.
The flavors improve tremendously if you leave the parfait to rest for at least 24 hours.

For the garnish:

  • Heat the grill to medium hot.
  • Cut the figs in half and drizzle a few drops of olive oil over the cut side of the fig halves and briefly put under the grill (cut side up). Remove and let cool.
  • Gently toss the micro herbs and grapes with olive oil, a pinch of salt, and a few grinds of pepper.
  • Divide into four servings.

To serve:
Dip a large sharp knife into hot water and carefully slice the parfait to the thickness desired. Plate each slice on suitable serving plates with the fig and grapes and the whole-wheat bread on the side. Drizzle with the balsamic glaze all round.

STELLA's avatar

By STELLA

I have had no formal chef’s training. Classical piano was my parents’ choice, and that took care of the first 20 years of my life. Journalism and radio followed (my own choices, this time), and these opened many doors for me into different countries, people, cultures — and, of course, foods. In a six week series on radio I used it as a platform for my love of food and shared lots of interesting recipes and food news with listeners.
My earliest memories of food come from the family kitchen at home; I can still remember the wonderful smells of the dishes my mother prepared. I became aware of the flavors of her creations at an early age. Some I enjoyed and preferred, while others depressed me with their lack of interesting flavors. My mother was a good cook, but not a gourmet, and sadly this often showed. What I did appreciate was that she always involved me in the preparation, sharing her knowledge of nutrition, flavor, color, and the harmonies of each plate she dished up. She was also a genius with leftovers and quick meals when unexpected guests arrived. This is one of the things that stands out in my mind, and it inspired me to create wonderful dishes from leftover foods myself.

I carried on with the tradition of carefully planning meals to combine nutrition, color and flavor, while at the same time offering variety and elegant presentation. In the process, I developed a passion for seeking out the best available products, adhering to each season’s offerings, and treating it with the respect it deserves, which eventually became part of my daily culinary life and travels. I did these things not because I wanted to become a chef, but to satisfy myself, family and friends with creations of gorgeous food and exciting flavors. All of which, I hope, is reflected in this blog.

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