Chicken liver parfait with celariac, parsnip and apple remoulade and cranberry chutney

So what is the difference between pate and parfait?

Chicken liver parfait with toasted homemade poppy and sesame seed bread

Well someone had to ask didn't they (it was one of the guests actually who was passing through the kitchen as we were clearing up after the dessert).

A - Pate is more course - and with chicken liver pate normally made with the chicken livers being fried first and blended with all the other ingredients once cooked. Parfait tends to be more moussy (this one certainly was) and smoother, and the livers are blended raw and then cooked. Blending it with the eggs adds a lot of air - air makes it lighter.
Also you get a much better colour with this recipe - i.e. blending the livers with the other ingredients first and poaching it in a bain marie. Once it's cooked it stays a nice pinky colour. Pate made with blending the sauteed livers is more grey/ brown.

Cranberry and pear chutney pre-cooking

We made this for a dinner party last week. The host couldn't make up her mind on a starter, and eventually requested this. It had been a while since I'd made chicken liver parait - and with such a busy few years and a few moves my original recipe from the Lygon Arms days (which was originally from Mosimann in his Dorch days). Anyway - I found this recipe and it worked really well. The above version is wrapped in pancetta and cooked in a terrine mould. Cook it to 74 oC on the temp probe to be safe (see link below).

Link to cranberry and pear chutney here. It's a new Christmas fave.


Related posts

Game pate en croute
Smoked salmon pate
Using temperature probe
Some other terrines

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Meat Free Monday #22 - Tabbouleh with grilled vegetables, parnsip remoulade and garlic ciabatta

Can you see Broadway tower?(It's almost half way in the middle at the top of fish hill there). View from the kitchen I was cooking in earlier - beats industrial kitchens.
Bank Holiday Monday - you know what that means. Busy busy busy. No wait - that's every day. Half term is always busy for us though because families stay in the Cotswolds for the whole week rather than just the weekend so there are events going on each day of the week with 3 on Friday night with a client meeting before and then a wedding on Saturday.
While the guests were eating their main course at Masty House, I made the most of some left overs. Nice Booths china plates there to use - hadn't seen that Booths pattern before.
Tabbouleh

Bulgar wheat cooked in vegetable stock (c. 10 mins)
Dice tomato (seriously the Buckland tomatoes are unlike anything you can get in a shop)
Lemon juice
Olive oil or Cotswold Gold
Parsley
Mint

Simple but so good. I served this to the guests with the shoulder of lamb - tabbouleh and lamb, classic combination.


Parsnip remoulade

Parsnip julienned on mandolin
Mayo
Creme fraiche
Seasoning
Chives

So one day I'd ran out of celariac and tried parnsip instead. What a revelation. Sweet, creamy & crunchy all in one - where can you go wrong. Add carrot in there and you would have a variation on coleslaw. If you make it up to an hour in advance the parsnip softens a little and is much better. It went with the duck pate I had made for the guests I was cooking for, but there's always a little spare......
The story of my life [above]. Apart from the dusting (no time.... you can tell), mowing the lawn (ditto - my landlord gave up waiting and does it himself now) and walking the dog - a dog would be rather neglected with my hours, but the neighbour's cat comes calling every morning.

More info on Meat Free Monday here.

Related posts

Other Meat Free Monday dishes
Garlic bread
Gluten free garlic bread

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