If I may be so bold, I make an awesome liver mousse. I served a chicken liver mousse last time I guest cheffed at Mission Street Food with chicken confit and kumquats. It was easily the best component of that dish, so I decided to feature it in its own dish. Wow, this chicken liver mousse was good. I vary the flavorings each time (the spices and wines used, whether I use creme fraiche, yogurt, cream, ricotta, or mascarpone, etc.), but the recipe for this one is below. I served it with carbonated murcot mandarin segments (clean each segment really well, then load whole segments into a siphon and charge three times with CO2, chill for a couple hours, then discharge all pressure, unscrew top, and dump out carbonated segments, then serve immediately), mandarin marmalade, endive, some griddled, crusty bread, and neutral pop rocks. The carbonation of the tangerine and the popping of the pop rocks were intended to help to keep the course light and to cut the richness of the chicken liver mousse. I'm sure that I've seen foie and pop rocks somewhere before, but I can't remember where.

Brined, Sauteed Chicken Livers

850g raw, fresh (not frozen) chicken livers
1200ml water
100g kosher salt
32g pink salt
10g sugar
.25g white pepper
.5g black pepper
3g coriander
pinch dried thyme
lemongrass
ginger

Combine all ingredients except livers and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer for five minutes then turn off the heat and let steep for half an hour. Strain then chill completely. Brine livers three hours, then rinse and dry.

Saute the chicken livers in many batches on high heat, browning the outsides and cooking the insides through to medium, being careful not to burn the fond. Pour off any remaining fat from the pan but reserve the fond for the mousse. The livers will now weigh significantly less than when you started.

Chicken Liver Mousse

600g sauteed, brined livers from above
65g sliced shallots
20g sliced ginger
2g coriander seeds
1g black pepper
45g butter
170g dry white wine
100g mirin
5g soy sauce
60g creme fraiche
20g heavy cream

In the same pans from sauteeing the chicken livers, add the butter and sweat the shallots, ginger, lemongrass, coriander, and the two peppercorns. Sweat without browning, scraping up any fond. Once soft, add the rest of the wine and the mirin and reduce by two thirds. Strain the liquid through a very fine mesh, discarding the solids left in the strainer. It should weigh about 135g. If it's more, reduce it further. If it's less, add water until it equals 135g.

Add the livers, wine, and soy sauce to the blender. Puree the livers completely, adding the creme fraiche and cream while the blender is running. Finally, push the mousse through a tamis, then mold or shape it the way you want it (I rolled it into cylinders with plastic wrap) and chill it completely overnight, keeping it covered as tightly as possible to avoid oxidation. Slice or quenelle to order (or no more than a few minutes before serving) to avoid oxidation and keep the nice pink color.

Posted by Barzelay on 2010/04/07 @ 1:58 | Comments (5) | Lazy Bear, Poultry, Sauces, Condiments, Veggies, Fruit, Grain, Cheese

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