DUCK LIVER MOUSSE WITH BLACK CHERRY JELLY
MAKES 12 SMALL PORTIONS
250ml (1 cup) Marsala wine (or brandy) 60ml (¼ cup) golden raisins
30g dried porcini mushrooms
30ml (2 tbsp) canola oil
60ml (¼ cup) chopped onion
22.5ml (1½ tbsp) chopped garlic
5ml (1 tsp) chopped anchovies
60ml (¼ cup) chopped sage
1kg duck livers, cleaned
500ml (2 cups) cold butter cubes
Black cherry jelly:
2 x 400g cans black cherries in juice 2 star anise
5 peppercorns
1 cinnamon stick (5cm)
3 sheets gelatine, soaked in ice water
Heat the wine over medium heat until just before it comes to a boil. Soak the raisins in the hot wine for about 30 minutes. Remove the raisins and set the wine aside for later. Rehydrate the mushrooms in 1 cup of hot water. After about 15-20 minutes, when they are soft and pliable, chop them into small pieces. Set aside and save the liquid for later.
Heat half the oil in a frying pan over medium to high heat, and cook the onion until soft, about 6-8 minutes. Add the garlic, anchovies, mushrooms and sage. Cook for another minute or two and remove from the pan. Set aside to cool.
Heat the remaining oil in the same frying pan over medium to high heat, and sear the duck livers on both sides. Turn the heat to low and simmer until they are just cooked through. Remove from the pan and set aside to cool.
While the pan is still hot, deglaze it by pouring the mushroom water and wine into the pan. Allow it to cook rapidly until reduced by half. Remove from the heat and once this liquid has cooled, pour it into the jug of a food processor. Add the onion mixture and duck livers to the reduced sauce and purée until the ingredients are smooth and well blended.
While the machine is running, add the cold butter one cube at a time, waiting for it to incorporate before adding more. Continue until a silky smooth consistency is reached. Fold the soaked raisins into the mousse. Divide the mousse into ramekins and refrigerate to cool.
In a saucepan, bring the cherry juice with the star anise, peppercorns and cinnamon to a boil. Remove from the heat. Take the softened gelatine out of the water and squeeze out all the liquid (using your hands). Stir the wet gelatine sheets into the warm liquid until dissolved.
Slowly pour the cherry juice mixture on top of the chilled mousse, dividing among the ramekins (about 3 tablespoons each). Decorate with whole cherries and refrigerate until the jelly is set.
TIP: It is important that the cooked duck livers and onion mix are cooled to room temperature before blending. If the mix is too warm, the butter will split. But if it is too cold, the butter doesn’t incorporate as easily and it’s harder to get a smooth, homogenous mousse.