Name: Duck liver pâté with pickled cranberries
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 8
Ingredients: 250 gm softened butter; 150 gm bacon, finely chopped; 3 golden shallots, thinly sliced; 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped; 4 thyme sprigs; 1 fresh bay leaf; 1 kg duck livers, trimmed; 60 ml brandy; Finely grated rind of ½ orange; 4 pimento berries, finely ground in a mortar and pestle; 80 ml pouring cream (1/3 cup); To serve: sliced crusty white bread; Pickled cranberries; 160 gm frozen cranberries, defrosted; 150 gm caster sugar; 60 ml red wine vinegar (¼ cup); Tokay jelly; 500 ml tokay (see note); 55 gm caster sugar, or to taste (see note) (¼ cup); 3 titanium-strength gelatine leaves, softened in cold water for 5 minutes

Duck liver pâté with pickled cranberries

Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for duck liver pâté with pickled cranberries.

Serves 8

Prep

30M

Cook

15M

Total

45M

This duck liver pâté packs a boozy, festive punch.

Ingredients

250 gm softened butter

150 gm bacon, finely chopped

3 golden shallots, thinly sliced

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

4 thyme sprigs

1 fresh bay leaf

1 kg duck livers, trimmed

60 ml brandy

Finely grated rind of ½ orange

4 pimento berries, finely ground in a mortar and pestle

80 ml pouring cream (1/3 cup)

To serve: sliced crusty white bread

Pickled cranberries

160 gm frozen cranberries, defrosted

150 gm caster sugar

60 ml red wine vinegar (¼ cup)

Tokay jelly

500 ml tokay (see note)

55 gm caster sugar, or to taste (see note) (¼ cup)

3 titanium-strength gelatine leaves, softened in cold water for 5 minutes

Method

Main

1.Heat 50gm butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat, add bacon, shallot, garlic and herbs and sauté until tender (5-6 minutes), season to taste and transfer to a food processor (discard thyme and bay). Heat another 100gm butter in pan, add livers and cook without colouring, turning occasionally, until cooked medium (5-6 minutes). Remove livers from pan and transfer to food processor with brandy, orange rind, pimento and remaining butter and process until smooth, then add cream and process to combine. Season to taste, then pass through a fine sieve. Transfer to four 250ml moulds and refrigerate until set (2-3 hours).

2.Meanwhile, for pickled cranberries, combine cranberries, sugar and vinegar in a saucepan and stir over medium heat until sugar is dissolved, then set aside to cool.

3.For tokay jelly, bring wine and sugar to the simmer in a saucepan over medium heat. Squeeze water from gelatine and add gelatine to pan, stirring to dissolve. Set aside to cool, then spoon over pâté, season with pepper and refrigerate until set (2 hours). Serve with pickled cranberries and crusty white bread.

Note Tokay is a semi-sweet dessert wine. The sweetness of the wine varies, so taste as you gradually add the sugar to prevent the jelly from being too sweet.
Notes