Orange and Sage Duck Liver Parfait

Ugh! 

I have to be honest here with you all: dealing with raw duck liver really churned my stomach.

Firstly, the texture reminded me of Ghostbusters slime. The liver kept slipping out of my hands, and when combined in a bowl, formed one great quivering mass of super-liver.

Secondly, the aroma was incredibly strong, and to me, nasty. I can only describe it as metallic and fleshy.

To quote D:Ream: Things can only get better.

Once you fry the livers in butter, they turn from heinous to heaven in mere minutes. If you dare, you could add more butter, some sage and perhaps a sprinkling of chopped eschalots. You could go even further by oh, I don’t know, de-glazing the pan that the livers have been in with some orange juice and two different types of alcohol... 

There is a little cream, some blending and some more butter involved and at this point, the pungent, gelatinous mass you once had on your hands is now but a distant memory. Pass it through a fine sieve (to change it from a pate to a parfait) and cap it with some melted butter. 

Please, do not balk at the amount of butter; no one is asking you to eat this all on your own. This is for sharing, preferably at a party or on a special occasion – it is for picking at and spreading on small pieces of toast. It is for enjoying together. 

I will be bringing this parfait with me on Christmas day at my brothers home along with these – my job is to provide the pre-lunch nibbles. I will probably bring some sort of cheese board as well.

Somehow, over the past couple of years, my family have worked out that I can cook - because this is a graduation from my previously assigned task of making two different sauces to go with prawns. 

Maybe if I keep this blogging gig up long enough, you might see a turkey on here next year.

Orange and Sage Duck Liver Parfait

400g duck or goose livers if you cannot get duck or chicken livers if you cannot get either!

175g unsalted butter

2 eschalots, chopped

1 clove of garlic, chopped

Approx. 5 sage leaves, roughly torn plus 2 for garnish

2 tablespoons orange juice

2 tablespoons of orange liqueur

2 tablespoons of brandy

Approx. 50mls cream – optional, but recommended as it reduces  the intensity of the flavours.

Zest from 1 orange

Heat about 15g of the butter in a pan until foaming. Add the sage, eschalots and garlic and cook until soft. Place in a food processor.

Sauté the livers in another 15g of the butter over a low to medium heat for no more than 2 minutes on each side or until they are cooked but still pink in the middle. Season both sides of the livers with salt and pepper. Take care not to crowd the pan, do this in two batches if possible using more butter with the second batch.  Place the liver in the food processor along with the onions, sage and garlic.

Add the orange juice, brandy and orange liqueur to the pan juices and cool for 1-2 minutes, scraping the bottom of the pan to collect any pieces of stuck liver.

Add the juices to the processor. Reserve about 50g of butter and add the rest to the processor. Blend until you have formed a paste. Add the cream and season. Blend to combine.

Pass the pate through a fine sieve to remove lumps and spoon into a serving dish - I used two small pie dishes. Tap the dishes on a bench to remove air bubbles and smooth over with a spatula. Place a sage leaf on top.

Melt the remaining butter in a small saucepan with the orange zest. Leave to sit for a few minutes and then strain over the parfait.  Cover with cling film and store in the fridge.

Best eaten after 2 days with toast.