South African Country Life – September 2019

DuckLava
Serves 12

• 24 greenasparagusspears,washedandpeeled
  DuckLiverParfait


• 2 cupsMCC/Champagne


• 5 tbspcastorsugar


• 5 tbsphoney,organicif possible


• 1kgfree-rangeduckliver(chickenlivers
  willalsowork)


• 1 tbspinksalt/quickcure/sodiumnitrate


• 1 onion,finelysliced


• canolaoilforfrying


• 100gcoldbutter


• pinchofsalt


• 1 clovegarlic,finelysliced
  
  
  • 2 sprigsofthyme
  
  
  • 550mlfreshcream
  
  
  • 2 wholeeggs
  
  
  • 2 eggyolks
  
  
  • 500gbutter,clarified
  
  
  • saltandpeppertotaste
  
  
  • 3 sheetsofphyllopastry
  
  
  • ½cupduckfatorclarifiedbutter
  
  
  • ½cuphoney,organicif possible
  
  
  • 1 tbspcinnamon,powder
    Pistachio-coconutButter
  
  
  • 1 cuppistachionuts,shelledand roasted
  
  
  • ½cupcoconutoil,melted
    
    
    • pinch of salt
      Green Powder (optional)
    
    
    • 2 cups frozen peas
    
    
    • 250g Swiss spinach, washed and
      stems removed
    
    
    • salted water for blanching
      Garnish
    
    
    • 24 crispy rashers of smoked pancetta
      or streaky bacon
    
    
    • pistachio nuts, shelled, roasted and crushed
    
    
    • lemon zest
    
    
    • Maldon salt
    
    
    • extra virgin olive oil
    
    
    
    
  
  
  
  

METHODFortheasparagus:Bring
a largepotofsaltedwaterto a boil.Addthe
asparagusspearsandcoverwitha lid.Cook
for 45 secondsandthentransferintoa bowl
oficewater.Oncecompletelycooled,about
2 minutes,removefromtheicewaterandlay
in a traybetweenkitchentowelto strainoff
anyexcesswater.Storein thefridgeuntil
readyto serve.
Fortheparfait:Makethemarinadeby
pouringtheMCCorChampagneintoa wide-
basepot,bringto a boilandreduceto about
100ml.Addthesugarandhoneyandcontinue
cookingona mediumheatfor2 minutes.
Removefromtheheat,andallowto cool.
Placetheliversin a mixingbowl(making
sureto strainoffanyexcessblood),add200ml
ofthecooledmarinadeandthepinksalt.
Mixthoroughly,coverandletit sitat room
temperaturefor 30 minutes.Whilethelivers
aremarinating,sweattheonionslowlyin
a wide,thickbasepotwithsomecanolaoil.
Oncetheyaresoftenedandslightlygolden,
add100gcoldbuttera pinchofsalt,garlicand
thyme.Sweatfora further5 minutes.Turnthe
heatup,addtheliverswithalltheliquidto the
onionmixture.Stirfrequentlyto alloweven
cookingandletthemarinadereducebyhalf.
Ina smallmixingbowl,combinethefresh
cream,eggsandyolksandwhisklightly.Add
thecreammixtureto thepanwiththeliversand
reducetheheatto low.Stirconstantlysothatthe
mixtureheatsuniformlyanddoesn’tscramble.
Thiswillensurethattheliversarecookedgently
andthecreammixtureoranglaise/custardwill
thickenwithoutbecomingscrambledeggs.

Removefromtheheatand transfer the

contentsofthepanto a food processor. Blend

themixturefor5 minuteson high speed. Gently

pressthemixtureintoa bowl through a fine

meshsieve.Note:themixture may split or look

roughat thispoint,don’tbealarmed. Melt the

clarifiedbutterin a smallpot over a low heat,

returnthemixtureto thefood processor and

blendonhighspeedfor1 minute while slowly

incorporatingtheclarifiedbutter. The mixture

shouldbelightandsmooth.Season with salt

andtransferintoa deepceramic container. Lay

a pieceofovenpaperdirectly over the surface

andallowto setin thefridge.

Ina smallpot,addyourduck fat and the

honeyandbringupto a boil.Remove from

theheatandaddthecinnamon. Let it sit for

10 minutesthenstrainintoa bowl through a fine

meshstrainerandplacein the fridge to cool.

Layonesheetofpastryon a clean kitchen

surfaceorcuttingboard.Using a pastry brush,

coattheentiresheetwitha thin layer of the

cinnamonmixture.Layerthe next pastry sheet

overandrepeat.Finishwitha final coating over

thetopsheet.Usinga rulerand sharp chef’s

knife,cutthelayeredsheetinto squares 5cm x

5cmin size.Laythesquares down on

a bakingtraybetweentwosheets of oven-proof

paperandpressanotherbaking tray on top so

thatit liesflat.Bakeat 160 ̊C for 11-13 minutes

oruntiluniformlygoldenand crispy. Allow to

coolandstacklikea packof cards in a small

containerleftat roomtemperature.

Forthepistachio-coconut butter: Place

theroastedpistachioin a food processor or

barblender.Blendonhighspeed while slowly

incorporating the melted coconut oil. Blend

until smooth. Season with a pinch of salt and

transfer into a small bowl or tub.

For the green powder (optional): Bring

a large pot of salted boiling water to a boil.

Add the peas, cover and cook for 45 seconds

and then transfer into a bowl of ice water. Once

completely cooled, about 2 minutes, remove

from the ice water and place into a food

processor. Blend till smooth (adding cold water

if needed), season with salt and strain into

a bowl through a fine mesh strainer. Spread

the purée thinly over oven proof paper on

a baking tray using a rubber spatula or palette

knife. Dry in the oven at 50 ̊C for 5 hours or

until completely dry. Repeat the process for

the spinach making sure you squeeze out any

excess moisture once removed from the ice

bath. Place the dried shards in a food processor

or bar blender and blend on high speed until

you have a fine powder.

To assemble: Spoon some of the pistachio-

coconut butter in the middle of a plate and

lie two spears of asparagus down parallel.

Balance a square of pastry over the middle of

the asparagus. Using a tablespoon, heated in

boiling water, scoop an oval of liver parfait on

top of the pastry. Balance another square over

the parfait, pressing down lightly to hold it

steady. Place two rashers of crispy pancetta or

bacon on either side and garnish with crushed

pistachios, green powder, lemon zest and

a pinch of Maldon salt. Top with a drizzle

of extra virgin olive oil.

Wine suggestion Maison Viognier 2018

September 2019 098 http://www.countrylife.co.za

COUNTRY CHEF ◗ DAVID SCHNEIDER