Duck Liver Terrine
Submitted by MIRAGE
A rich French duck liver terrine blended with speck, armagnac, cream, and quatre-epices, studded with diced roasted duck breast. Served chilled with hot toast and warm flambeed grapes.
YIELD
6 servingsPREP
15 minCOOK
50 minREADY
13 hrsThis is the kind of terrine you’d find at a countryside auberge in Gascony, where armagnac flows freely and the charcuterie is taken very seriously.
Roasted duck breast gets diced and folded into a silky puree of duck livers, smoky speck, rich cream, and egg yolks, all perfumed with quatre-epices and a splash of armagnac.
Baked gently in a bain-marie and chilled overnight, it develops deep, complex flavors that reward your patience.
The warm grape garnish, quickly tossed in caramelized butter and flambeed with armagnac, adds a sweet-smoky contrast that elevates every bite.
Kitchen Tips
- Chill for a full 24 hours. The flavors need time to meld and the texture firms to a spoonable consistency.
- Use high-fat cream (45% butterfat if you can find it) for the richest, most velvety result.
- Quatre-epices is a classic French spice blend of pepper, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger. A pinch goes a long way.
- Flambe safely by removing the pan from heat before adding armagnac, then tilting it toward the flame to ignite.
Ingredients
Directions
Place duck breast in roasting tin, pour oil over, and cook in a pre-heated 250’C oven for 20 minutes.
Cool, remove skin and dice the breast meat.
Put speck, liver, salt, pepper, quatre spices, cream, egg yolks and armagnac into a liquidiser and blend until smooth.
Pour into a bowl and add the diced duck breast meat.
Taste for salt and pepper.
Pour mixture into an earthenware terrine, cover well, and cook in a bain-marie for 30 minutes in a pre-heated 250’C oven.
Terrine should be 5 cm thick.
Allow to cool, then place in refrigerator for 24 hours before serving with a spoon straight from the dish.
Serve with hot toast, freshly ground pepper and garnish with warm bunches of grapes.
To make garnish:
Melt sugar and butter in a frying pan.
Add grapes and toss quickly for a few seconds.
Flame with armagnac and serve warm.
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