Chicken livers are often forgotten these days, which is a shame as they're cheap as chips and have the most amazing flavour. Using them in a parfait really makes the most of their wonderful taste, and your friends will be so impressed you've made it yourself. I like to serve mine in the middle of the table with a big pile of little toasts and let everyone tuck in.
Copyright © David Loftus
Old-school chicken liver parfait
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Nutritional Information - Amount per serving:
- Calories 675kcal
- Carbs 27.8g
- Sugar 7.3g
- Fat 51.8g
- Saturates 27.3g
- Protein 17.6g
Method
Preheat the oven to 110ºC/225ºF/gas ¼. Put half the butter in an ovenproof saucepan and pop it in the oven to slowly melt until it's separated – this will take about 10 minutes. Strain the yellow clarified butter into a separate bowl and set aside to cool. Discard the remaining milky-coloured butter.
Heat a little olive oil in a frying pan. Slowly fry the shallots and garlic for 10 minutes, until soft and tender, then remove to a plate. Wipe the pan clean with some kitchen roll, turn up the heat then throw in the livers and most of the sage. Cook the livers for a couple of minutes on each side, until lightly coloured but still a little pink in the middle – if you overcook them they will lose their smooth texture and become grainy.
Pour in the brandy. If you're using a gas hob you can flame it until the alcohol cooks off, but watch your hair! Simmer for a minute or so, then take the livers off the heat and tip them into a food processor with the cooked shallots and garlic. Blitz until you have a smooth purée. Add the rest of the softened butter and continue to blitz, then season well and add the mace. Transfer the mixture to a serving bowl.
Sprinkle the remaining sage leaves over the parfait, then spoon over the clarified butter. Leave the parfait to set in the fridge for 1 hour. It will taste beautiful straight away, but it's even better if the flavours are left to develop for a couple of days. If the butter seal isn't disturbed it should last as long as two weeks, though it never lasts that long in my house!
When you are ready to serve, slice up the bread and griddle the little toasts. Pile them onto a board next to your parfait with a pile of snipped cress on the side and dig in.
BUYING SUSTAINABLY SOURCED FISH
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Buying sustainably sourced fish means buying fish that has been caught without endangering the levels of fish stocks and with the protection of the environment in mind. Wild fish caught in areas where stocks are plentiful are sustainably sourced, as are farmed fish that are reared on farms proven to cause no harm to surrounding seas and shores.
When buying either wild or farmed fish, ask whether it is sustainably sourced. If you're unable to obtain this information, don't be afraid to shop elsewhere – only by shopping sustainably can we be sure that the fantastic selection of fish we enjoy today will be around for future generations.
For further information about sustainably sourced fish, please refer to the useful links below:
Marine Stewardship Council
http://www.msc.org/
Fish Online
http://www.fishonline.org
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