Name: Chicken liver and foie gras pâté with pickled shallots and parsley purée
Prep time: 120 min
Cook time: 130 min
Total time: 250 min
Yield: 10
Ingredients: 16 thin rindless streaky bacon rashers; 750 gm chicken livers, trimmed and diced into 1cm cubes; 250 gm pork back fat (see note), cut into 5mm dice; 30 gm fine fresh white breadcrumbs; 1 tbsp coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley; 6 golden shallots, finely chopped; 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped; 3 tsp thyme leaves; 50 gm butter, coarsely chopped; 1 tsp quatre épices (see note); 50 ml pouring cream; 50 ml brandy; 1 egg; 50 gm foie gras, cut into 3 logs; To serve: baguette, sliced; Parsley purée; 2 cups flat-leaf parsley (firmly packed); 200 ml pouring cream; Pickled shallots; 6 golden shallots, thinly sliced; 100 ml dry white wine; 100 ml white wine vinegar; 1 tsp black peppercorns; 1 each fresh bay leaf and thyme sprig

Chicken liver and foie gras pâté with pickled shallots and parsley purée

Australian Gourmet Traveller French recipe for chicken liver and foie gras pâté with pickled shallots and parsley purée by Daniel Southern from Comme Kitchen in Melbourne.

Serves 10

Prep

Cook

2H 10M

Total

4H 10M

“This is a non-puréed version of foie gras parfait, although you can replace the foie gras with chicken livers. The combination of parsley and shallot is a marriage made in heaven.” You’ll need to begin this recipe a day ahead.

Ingredients

16 thin rindless streaky bacon rashers

750 gm chicken livers, trimmed and diced into 1cm cubes

250 gm pork back fat (see note), cut into 5mm dice

30 gm fine fresh white breadcrumbs

1 tbsp coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley

6 golden shallots, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

3 tsp thyme leaves

50 gm butter, coarsely chopped

1 tsp quatre épices (see note)

50 ml pouring cream

50 ml brandy

1 egg

50 gm foie gras, cut into 3 logs

To serve: baguette, sliced

Parsley purée

2 cups flat-leaf parsley (firmly packed)

200 ml pouring cream

Pickled shallots

6 golden shallots, thinly sliced

100 ml dry white wine

100 ml white wine vinegar

1 tsp black peppercorns

1 each fresh bay leaf and thyme sprig

Method

Main

1.Preheat oven to 140C. Line an 8cm x 20cm x 7cm-deep terrine mould with bacon, overlapping slightly, and allowing ends to overhang by 6cm. Refrigerate until required.

2.Combine liver, pork back fat, breadcrumbs and parsley in a large bowl and bring to room temperature.

3.Combine shallot, garlic, thyme, butter, quatre épices and cream in a saucepan, stir occasionally over low heat until shallot and garlic are tender (15-30 minutes). Add brandy, increase heat to medium-high, simmer until a light syrup forms (4-5 minutes). Cool to room temperature, add to liver mixture with egg, mix thoroughly, season to taste. Spoon half the liver mixture into prepared mould. Lay foie gras along centre, then top with remaining liver mixture. Fold overhanging bacon to enclose, cover tightly with baking paper and foil and place in a roasting pan. Add enough boiling water to come halfway up sides of mould, then bake until a meat thermometer inserted into the centre reads 70C (1-1½ hours). Remove terrine from roasting pan, cool to room temperature (1¼-1½ hours), then refrigerate, weighted with food cans, until very firm and chilled (6 hours-overnight).

4.Meanwhile, for parsley purée, blanch parsley in a saucepan of boiling water until just wilted (15-20 seconds). Drain, refresh, squeeze out excess water, then set aside. Meanwhile, boil cream in a small saucepan over medium-high heat until reduced to 50ml (2-4 minutes). Add parsley, process in a small food processor until smooth, season to taste and refrigerate until required.

5.For pickled shallots, combine ingredients in a saucepan, bring to the simmer over medium heat. Remove from heat, set aside to cool.

6.Briefly dip terrine mould in hot water, invert terrine onto a board, thickly slice and serve with pickled shallots, parsley purée and baguette slices.

Note Pork back fat may need to be ordered from your butcher. Quatre épices is a blend of pepper, nutmeg, cloves and ginger commonly used to flavour charcuterie. It’s available from Herbie’s Spices.
This recipe is from the July 2010 issue of Australian Gourmet Traveller.
Drink Suggestion: Sleek and dry Bourgogne Blanc with a medium body. Drink suggestion by Marty McCaig and Frederic Blevin
Notes