Stand And De–Liver. As In Velvety Liver Parfait.

Last in the series of Duck videos. So cute. (Viral, so I’m sure you’ve probably seen it already.)

If you are a paté person, you will be all over this ultra smooth, rich and flavorful version.

Even if you think you don’t like paté, this is a recipe to try and give it a chance. Buttery and mildly spiced, it’s a good introduction.

The reason the paté is called parfait here is that parfait refers to an ultra smooth paté. And parfait is French for perfect, which this recipe comes pretty close to being.

Velvety Liver Parfait

Ingredients:

600g chicken livers
250g butter, diced and slightly softened
2 shallots, finely sliced
1 garlic clove, sliced
Splash of brandy and port
1 Tbs tomato purée

Ingredients to top parfait:

100g butter
1 tbsp thyme leaves
1 tsp black peppercorns

Toast, baguette slices, gherkins and chutney, to serve

Directions:

1. Cut away and discard any large sinews from the livers. Set livers aside.

2. Heat about a third of the butter in a large frying pan, then gently fry the shallots and garlic for 3-4 minutes until soft.

3. 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. Remove the pan from the heat and leave to cool completely.

4. Season the livers generously with salt and pepper, then tip the contents of the pan into a food processor with the tomato purée and remaining butter, and process until smooth. Taste for seasoning, then spoon into a serving dish. Smooth the surface. Place in the fridge to set.

5. Once mixture has set, make the topping. Gently melt the butter in a small pan, then leave for a minute 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.

6. Serve the paté with plenty of buttered toast, crackers or baguette slices, sliced gherkins and chutney. Will keep for 2 days in the fridge.

Recipe from BBC Good Food Magazine