Chicken liver parfait recipe

I don't know what I was worried about.

Making your own chicken liver parfait -- as I soon found out -- is one of the easiest things in the world.

I brought little pots of chicken liver parfait to a Christmas in July Yulefest dinner with fellow food bloggers, a little nervous and filled with trepidation at presenting my first efforts to pate aficionados. When there was no shortage of volunteers to take home the leftovers, I knew the parfait must have tasted okay!

The only tricky part is pan-frying the livers so they're cooked but still pink, but apart from that, this is a super easy recipe that mainly requires use of a food processor, and then pushing the mixture through a sieve.

Cleaning the livers was hardly a drama either (chicken thighs are much more finicky), and the best part? It's incredibly cheap. I paid $4.30 for a kilo of livers and made 7 ramekins of this glorious stuff.

At the party, I kept calling this a pate but actually it was a parfait. What is the difference between a pate and a parfait? A pate is a paste of minced meat and fat. A parfait is lighter in texture - the act of pushing the pate through a sieve converts this to a parfait.

The most important tip for this parfait is that is tastes better with age. I made this a week in advance and found that it only got better as the days went by. The butter seal protects the parfait from spoiling, and a cover of cling film will allow the flavours to develop in the fridge.

Whatever you do, don't skimp on the sieving. Pushing the mixture twice through the sieve will make sure your final result will be light, delicate and silky smooth.

Chicken liver parfait

1kg chicken livers

250g butter

salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 Tbsp brandy

1/2 cup double cream

whole black peppercorns

1. Melt the butter until the milky solids separate. Set aside to cool so the milk solids can gather at the bottom. The top section will be your clarified butter or ghee.
2. Trim the chicken livers of any sinew and cut into even sized pieces and thickness.
3. Add two tablespoons of the melted butter to a heavy frypan. When heated, add the chicken livers and cook through until just pink. Take care not to overcrowd the pan - you may need to do this in batches. Fry on low heat and move the livers around gently so they cook on all sides. The livers should be firm but pink in the middle.
4. Season with salt and pepper, then add the brandy. Set the brandy alight to burn off the alcohol. Remove the pan from the heat and allow the livers to cool for a few minutes
5. Transfer the livers (but not the leftover liquids) to a food processor. Blend until the livers are a thick paste.
6. Whilst the motor is running, add 180g of the clarified butter to the livers in a slow steady stream. Continue with the double cream. The chicken liver pate should be smooth.
7. Transfer the pate to a large sieve set over a bowl. Push the mixture twice through the sieve, discarding any sinew which remains. Do not skip this step or your parfait will be coarse and lumpy.
8. Divide the mixture between ramekins or terrine moulds. Make sure the top of each parfait is as flat as possible. Decorate with whole peppercorns.
9. Stir the leftover melted butter so the milk solids are all combined again. Pour the melted butter over the ramekins so the parfait is completely covered.
10. Cover tightly with cling film and allow to chill in the fridge for at least 2-3 hours. The flavours are best developed for at least a week.
11. Remove from fridge two hours before serving.
12. Serve with fresh crusty bread, crackers or toasted brioche.

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Christmas in July Yulefest dinner, 2010