Chicken Liver Parfait

With Christmas just around the corner, I thought I'd share my favourite chicken liver parfait recipe (it's just a silky smooth luxurious pate, really) along with a spiced cranberry compote and homemade cute little brioche loaves. I chose to do cranberry compote this time, given the season. One can find frozen cranberries at good supermarkets.  Look out for the Hillcrest frozen berry range. Usually, I simply play around with apple, pear, onion and of course, seasonal plums. All simply divine ingredients to use for a compote. I particularly enjoyed this festive flavour combination with the nostalgic warm and fuzzy spices in the cranberry compote and of course, the sweetness and much-needed tartness it provides to cut through the gloriously rich parfait and buttery brioche. I will post an easy crowd-pleasing dessert recipe tomorrow on my Instagram.  So keep an eye out 😉 And then, I'm officially switching off until 6 Jan 2019! Wishing you all a Happy Christmas and an incredible 2019!
Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Course Snack
Servings 12 slices

Ingredients
  

  • 500 g free range chicken livers or diced free range duck livers
  • 75 g butter
  • 1 small onion chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic crushed
  • 4 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) nutmeg
  • 2 Tbsp (30 ml) brandy
  • 1/4 c (60 ml) double cream
  • Freshly milled salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 Tbsp (30 ml) butter, clarified*
  • a few sprigs of thyme for garnish

Instructions
 

  • In a large frying pan, heat the butter and sauté the onion, garlic, thyme and nutmeg until fragrant.
  • Add the livers and sauté over high heat for 5-8 minutes (they should still be pink inside but not bloody). Don’t overcook please 🙂
  • Add the brandy and if on a gas stove, flambé until the alcohol cooks out or simply simmer for 30 seconds.
  • Place the livers and onion etc. into a food processor. Strain the cooking juices through a fine sieve or muslin cloth (to remove any coagulated gritty bits) then add the cooking juices and cream to the food processor too.
  • [Side note: I didn't need to strain the juices, I simply added all the ingredients of the pan into my Greenis Smart Power Blender and it worked a charm.  I usually find when using a normal food processor, one can't achieve that super silky smooth texture without having to sieve the cooking juices and also possibly passing the pate mixture through a sieve again!]
  • Blend (I simply pulsed my mixture in the Greenis) until smooooooth. It probably took a minute or so. Nice hey? Season well to taste.
  • If not using a power blender,  pass blended mixture through a sieve – this is a little time consuming but it is so worth the extra effort.
  • Spoon into a cling wrap lined loaf tin or terrine dish.
  • Cover with a bit of clarified butter and garnish with a sprig of thyme. Season with Malden salt and pepper.
  • Chill for at least 2 hours. Best made the day before if possible to allow a good set.
  • Use a clean wet knife when cutting into thick slices or blocks.
  • Serve with freshly baked brioche and spiced cranberry compote.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!