Liver Parfait with Spiced Red Wine Shallots and Orange Sauce

Slofoodgroup Team September 21, 2022

Creamy Liver Parfait Appetizer with Spiced Wine Sauce

Get your next dinner party off to a great start with this appetizer! If you have never made a parfait before, don’t be scared; it’s easy! A parfait is a type of pâté, or liver paste, but with a smoother consistency. It is usually cooked after the ingredients are blended together. We love it spread atop pumpernickel bread and topped with a luxurious spiced red wine and shallot sauce.

Surprise everyone with a touch of bright orange sauce and you've got the perfect bite. This recipe is packed with surprising flavors, including star anise, orange, and cinnamon. Perfect for any occasion or for a quick lunch, it’s easy to make in advance and store in the fridge for when you need it.

How to make the perfect liver parfait:

Ingredients

For the chicken liver parfait:

• 1/4 cup chicken livers, trimmed and cleaned
• 1 small egg
• 1 teaspoon cognac
• pinch of flake sea salt
• pinch of Chinese five-spice powder
• pinch of freshly ground white pepper
• 1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted and left to cool slightly
• 2 tablespoon double cream, warm

For the red wine shallots sauce:

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 shallots, thinly sliced
• 1 teaspoon white flour
• splash of port wine, about 3 tbsp
• 1 star anise
• 1/4 cinnamon stick
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2-3 cloves
• 1 bay leaf

For the Orange Syrup:

• 15 grams/0.5 oz candied orange peel
• 1/4 cup of water
• 3 tablespoon fresh orange juice
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 1/4 cup olive oil

Procedure

1. She tart by making the orange syrup: place the candied orange peel in a small saucepan together with water, lemon juice, orange juice and 1 tablespoon of sugar; heat gently on low until the sugar dissolves; transfer to a blender and gradually incorporate the olive oil into the mixture; transfer to a squeeze bottle and store in the fridge until needed.
2. Preheat oven to 75°C/170°F.
3. Season the chicken livers with salt and place in a food processor with the spices and egg; pulse until smooth paste forms; slowly add the warm cream and melted butter and finish with the cognac; transfer the mixture to an oven-safe dish and cook for 20 minutes; allow to cool down completely before serving.
4. To make the wine shallots, simply add all the ingredients to a saucepan and cook on low until a thick sauce forms; remove the star anise, cinnamon stick and bay leaves before serving.
5. To serve, scoop a generous amount of the parfait to pumpernickel bread, add the wine shallots on top, drizzle orange syrup on top and garnish with fresh dill or parsley.