Chicken Liver Parfait Eclairs, Hazelnut and Pickle - Chef Recipe by Ritesh Patil

Ingredients

Makes 120

Chicken liver parfait:

400g chicken livers, trimmed
1 tsp grapeseed oil
1 garlic clove, peeled and sliced
1 shallot, peeled and sliced
1 sprig of thyme
40mL Port
40mL Madeira
400g butter, melted and kept warm
5 medium eggs
2 egg yolks
Salt and pepper

Eclairs:

500mL water
200 butter
400g plain flour
8-10 eggs
Salt

Port glaze:

400mL Port wine

To plate:

50g hazelnuts, chopped
50g baby gherkins or cornichons, sliced into rounds
100mL Port wine glaze

Method

Chicken liver parfait:

Pre-heat oven to 130 C.

Drain and rinse chicken livers well.

Put Madeira, Port, shallots, thyme and garlic into a small saucepan and bring to the boil over a high heat. Let bubble to reduce by a third, then remove from the heat and strain.

In a blender, puree the raw livers with the reduced alcohol. Add eggs and yolks one at a time, blending for 3-4 minutes until the mixture is silky smooth. Gradually incorporate the warm, melted butter and season with salt and pepper.

Line the base of a terrine with baking paper. Pass the contents of the blender through a fine sieve into the terrine mould, forcing it through the sieve with back of a ladle. Cover surface closely with a piece of baking paper and put a piece of foil loosely over the top.

Stand the terrine in a roasting tray and pour enough boiling water in the tray to come 2/3 of the way up the side of the terrine. Cook in oven for 45 minutes to an hour, until the terrine reaches 65 C in the middle.
Remove terrine from water bath and leave to cool for 30 minutes, then refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to chill.

Once chilled, put the parfait in a mixing bowl and whisk to form a smooth paste. Reserve in a piping bag.

Eclairs:

Sift the flour with a pinch of salt into a small bowl.

Put water and butter into a small saucepan and gently heat so butter melts but liquid does not bubble. Once butter has melted, increase the heat until liquid is boiling. Turn off heat, tip the sifted flour in and beat vigorously with a wooden spoon until you have a smooth dough that comes away from the sides of the pan.

Set aside to cool for 5 minutes or until cool enough to touch.

Once dough has cooled, beat in eggs one at a time, until mixture is smooth and shiny.

Spoon the choux mixture into a piping bag fitted with a 1cm wide nozzle. Pipe 8cm long eclairs, well spaced on a tray lined with baking paper or a silicon mat.

Bake in a cold oven set at 170 C for 35 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside on a cooling rack.

Port glaze:

Place Port into a saucepan and reduce by a quarter to 100mL. Set aside to cool.

To assemble:

Make three holes under each éclair with the help of a small knife and pipe in the liver parfait.

Place on a plate and apply the Port wine glaze to the top of each éclair with the help of a pastry brush.

Top with chopped hazelnuts and sliced pickles.

Recipe provided by Edwin Wine Bar and Cellar