gross and annoying to prepare, but this is the best thing you will ever eat.

So, let's say you have someone you reaaaallllly want to impress... a potential mother-in-law, an employer who's been holding out on the payrise, an overly attentive parole officer.. well this is what you make them...

this parfait will make strong men weep. it will also put offal-ly hairs on their chest. I have enticed vegetarians to eat it, paired with a little cornichon and a buttery cracker (and let me tell you, they loved the heck outta it.) Thanks to a particularly unpleasant sieving procedure, it has a texture that would make a baby's arse jealous. Impossibly rich, this parfait is thankfully a bloody pain to make... but sometimes it's worth it.

I've used the very talented Simon Bryant's recipe with a few additions... Begin 1.5 days prior to the eating. This is serious business.

Duck Liver Parfait
(psssst. don't tell anyone but I used chicken livers 'cause the poultry-monger bloody sold my pre-ordered duck livers to someone else....)

INGREDIENTS
500g Duck Livers
60 ml brandy/cognac
60 ml port
1 small clove garlic, bruised
3 sprigs thyme
1 bay leaf
1 handful of currants

150g butter
5 g gelatine
5 slices pancetta - crisped in a pan
4 french shallots - sweated in a little butter until gold
10g salt
Pepper
¼ tsp or good pinch grated nutmeg
125 ml crème fraiche

extra 5g gelatine and 100g port


MARINATING:
Clean 500g livers of gall & sinew. (It will start off as about 700g)
This bit is filthy and quite disgusting. Make sure you remove all the tough bits and any discoloured parts. A very sharp knife is essential as you don't want to totally mangle the little livers.

Marinate liver in 60 ml port and 60 ml brandy with 1 clove garlic (bruised), 3 sprigs thyme and a few bay leaves.

I also threw in a handful of currants at this point.


COOKING:
The next day, strain livers through a sieve and keep all the juice.

Place the juice in a small saucepan and reduce to 2-3 tablespoons, strain through a fine sieve with muslin cloth, this is to catch and congealed blood protein that will make your parfait grainy. This bit is super important. you'll see all the proteins lump together and go yukky. You want to get rid of this, but keep the concentrated delicious juice.

Soak 5g leaf gelatine in small amount of water, squeeze out liquid and fold the gelatine into the reduced juice & warm it until dissolved, set aside in a warm place.

Melt 150g butter over a low heat taking the butter temperature to 70C's (you must use a thermometer) and poach the livers and currants in the butter for 2-3 minutes, until just cooked (they'll go opaque and firm when cooked.)

Strain the liver (reserving the butter), the butter must also be strained through a cloth to catch impurities that will affect the texture of the parfait. (yet again, with the straining! but it does help with the texture...) Keep the strained butter warm.

Set liver aside to cool and remove the currants, thyme, garlic and bay leaves (The liver will taste bitter if blended whilst hot so make sure to cool it).


PUREEING:
When cold, puree livers, shallots and pancetta in a blender working in the juice+gelatine mix and half the strained butter (you must ensure the butter is not too cold when blending or it will clump, warm it gently on the stove so that it is about 30 degrees and viscous).

The puree must be very smooth. work it through a mesh sieve (a pastry scraper helps here) and then season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. discarding any coarse bits left behind.


MIXING:
Whip the crème fraiche to a stiffer consistency, but not to a stiff peak.

Beat a ¼ of this into the liver puree, and then fold this mixture back into the remaining whipped crème.

Pour into ramekins and smooth the top.


JELLY LAYER:
Soak extra gelatine leaves and then melt into the warmed port. Spoon this jelly mix over the top of the parfait to stop the mixture from oxidizing. Set a few of the currants into the jelly layer.

Chill, leaving in the fridge at least two hours or overnight.

Enjoy with fresh crunchy bread / buttery crackers and tiny cornichons.