, Step by step

Chicken liver parfait with toasted sourdough bread

Great for the festive season, this delicious parfait can be served as a starter, light meal, or a snack.

Mark Stower, Director of Food and Service

Preparation Time: 15 mins

Cooking Time: 20 mins plus cooling time

Serves: 4

Method

  • Step 1

    Heat the olive oil in a pan. Slowly cook the shallots and garlic over low heat until soft and tender. Turn up the heat, then add the livers and thyme. Cook the livers thoroughly and ensure that a temperature of 65˚C has been reached.

  • Step 2

    Pour the brandy into the pan and simmer for a minute or so.

  • Step 3

    Take the livers off the heat and tip them into a food processor. Blitz until you have a smooth purée. Add the softened butter, honey and cream and continue to blitz until smooth, then season well with salt and pepper.

  • Step 4

    Transfer the mixture to a kilner jar and place into the fridge to set for two hours.

  • Step 5

    After two hours, spoon the clarified butter over the mixture and leave the parfait in the fridge until needed.

  • Step 6

    When you are ready to serve, slice the bread and toast on a griddle.

  • Step 7

    To serve, pile the toasted bread onto a board next to your parfait. Serve with gherkins and red onion marmalade.

Nutrition

Chicken livers are rich in many nutrients, especially iron, zinc and copper, as well as some B vitamins and vitamin A (retinol).

The vitamin A in liver comes from the animal feed. Unlike most vitamins, animals (including humans) don’t eliminate excess vitamin A, but store it in the liver for a rainy day.

As a result, chicken liver (and all other types of liver) contain so much vitamin A that it is possible to overdose on this vitamin by eating too much liver or liver pâté! The advice for most people would be to eat liver or liver pâté no more than about once a week, and pregnant women should avoid it completely as too much vitamin A is harmful to developing babies.

DR JULIET GRAY, COMPANY NUTRITIONIST