Silky Chicken Liver Parfait with Port Fig Jam and Buttered Brioche

⏱ 90 min · Serves 8

Velvet-smooth, brandy-laced liver parfait set under a whisper of clarified butter, served with a glossy port-and-fig jam and hot toasted brioche. It looks like it came from a Michelin dining room, but it's really just a blender, a sieve and a little patience.

Per serving: 665 kcal · 19.0g protein · 39.0g carbs · 47.0g fat

Ingredients

• 400g chicken livers, trimmed of sinew and green spots
• 250g unsalted butter, softened and cubed, plus 100g extra for sealing
• 2 shallots, finely sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, sliced
• 4 sprigs thyme
• 60ml brandy
• 60ml Madeira or port
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 tsp fine sea salt
• 1/4 tsp ground white pepper
• Pinch of ground mace or nutmeg
• 1 tsp caster sugar
• 200g dried figs, stems removed, chopped
• 150ml port
• 100ml water
• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 50g soft brown sugar
• 1 strip orange peel
• 8 thick slices brioche
• Flaky sea salt, to serve

Method

1. Soak the trimmed livers in cold milk or salted water for 30 minutes if you have time, then drain well and pat very dry. Bring them to room temperature.
2. Heat oven to 130C/110C fan. Line a 1kg loaf tin or terrine with cling film, leaving overhang, and sit it in a deep roasting tray.
3. In a small pan, gently cook the shallots, garlic and thyme in a knob of butter until soft and sweet, about 8 minutes. Add the brandy and Madeira, then boil hard until reduced to about 3 tablespoons of syrupy liquid. Discard the thyme sprigs.
4. Tip the livers, reduction, eggs, salt, white pepper, mace and caster sugar into a blender. Blitz for 2 minutes until completely smooth, then add the 250g softened butter in batches, blending until glossy.
5. Pass the mixture through a fine sieve into a jug, pushing it through with a ladle. This step is what makes it silky, so don't skip it. Skim off any foam.
6. Pour into the lined tin. Pour hot water into the roasting tray to come two-thirds up the sides. Cover the tin loosely with foil and bake for 40-50 minutes, until the parfait wobbles gently as one set mass and reads 63-65C in the centre.
7. Lift out and cool to room temperature, then chill for at least 4 hours (overnight is better).
8. Melt the extra 100g butter, let the milky solids settle, then spoon the clear golden butter over the chilled parfait to seal. Chill again to set.
9. For the jam, simmer the figs, port, water, vinegar, brown sugar and orange peel in a small pan for 20-25 minutes until thick and jammy. Remove the peel and blitz or mash to a coarse spoonable jam. Cool.
10. To serve, toast the brioche in a dry pan or under the grill until golden. Dip a spoon in hot water and scoop generous curls of parfait, or slice the terrine. Serve with fig jam, flaky salt and hot brioche.