Name: Velvety duck liver parfait
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: Serves 6 as a starter or light lunch
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 600g duck or chicken liver or a mix of both; 250g pack butter diced and slightly softened; 2 shallots finely sliced; 1 garlic clove sliced; splash each brandy or port; 1 tbsp tomato purée; 100g butter; 1 tbsp thyme leaves; 1 tsp black peppercorn; toast, gherkin and chutney, to serve

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Velvety duck liver parfait

Velvety duck liver parfait

Barney Desmazery

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Serves 6 as a starter or light lunch

Easy

Prep: 30 mins

Cook: 15 mins

Plus setting

A star rating of 4.5 out of 5.14 ratingsRate

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A little parfait makes Christmas complete, try making your own with Barney's festive recipe

Easily doubled

Easily halved

Freezable

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Complete the dish

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Homemade tomato chutney

A star rating of 4.7 out of 5.134 ratings

Ingredients

Nutrition

Units:

MetricUS

600g duck or chicken liver

or a mix of both
250g pack butter

diced and slightly softened
2 shallots

finely sliced
1 garlic clove

sliced
splash each brandy

or port
1 tbsp tomato purée

For the topping

100g butter
1 tbsp thyme

leaves
1 tsp black peppercorn
toast, gherkin

and chutney, to serve

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Nutrition: per serving

kcal535
fat50g
saturates31g
carbs2g
sugars1g
fibre0g
protein18g
salt1.11g

low

Method

step 1

Cut away and discard any large sinews from the livers, then set the livers aside. Heat about a third of the butter in a large frying pan, then gently fry the shallots and garlic for 3-4 mins unti l soft. Turn up the heat, add the livers, then fry until just browned on all sides. Add the brandy and port, boil down as quickly as possible – if the sauce catches light for an instant, then all the better. Remove the pan from the heat and leave to cool completely.
step 2

Season the livers generously, then tip the contents of the pan into a food processor with the tomato purée and remaining butter, and blitz until smooth. Push the mixture through a fine sieve into a bowl, taste for seasoning, then tip into a serving dish, banging the dish down on the tabletop to smooth out the surface. Place in the fridge to set.
step 3

Once the mixture has set, make the topping. Gently melt the butter in a small pan or in a bowl in the microwave, then leave for a min to settle and separate. Pour the yellow butter that has risen to the top into another bowl and discard the milky liquid. Leave the yellow butter to cool slightly, then mix in the thyme and peppercorns. Pour the mixture over the parfait and leave to set in the fridge. Serve with plenty of toast, sliced gherkins and chutney. Will keep for 2 days in the fridge.

RECIPE TIPS

MAKE AHEAD

You can make the parfait up to 2 days ahead, making sure it’s properly covered with the melted butter. It can also be frozen for a month, but start defrosting it in the fridge 2 days before serving.

Recipe from Good Food magazine, December 2007

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A star rating of 4.5 out of 5.14 ratings

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