Grilled Duck Liver
Onion Marmellata, Daikon, Pickles, and Roman Matzo
Chef David Nayfeld of Che Fico | San Francisco
Adapted by StarChefs | June 2019
INGREDIENTS:
Duck Liver:
(Yield: 5 pounds; 35 servings)
2.27 kilograms duck liver, cleaned
75 grams pink salt
2 liters milk
90 grams kosher salt
Black pepper
Chicken Liver Mousse:
(Yield: 5 pounds; 57 servings)
70 grams sugar
25 grams pink salt
1 kilogram ice
1 kilogram chicken livers, cleaned
200 grams kosher salt, plus additional as needed
Blended oil
200 grams shallots, thinly sliced
15 grams thyme leaves
100 grams butter, softened
60 grams Madeira
300 grams heavy cream
150 grams butter, melted and room tempered
Sherry vinegar
Concord Grape Reduction:
(Yield: 1.8 kilograms)
8 kilograms Concord grape juice
Onion Marmellata:
(Yield: 2½ quarts)
Blended oil
8 quarts onion brunoise
3 kilograms dry red wine
2 kilograms red wine vinegar
500 grams sugar
Roman Matzo:
(Yield: 20 matzos)
580 grams all-purpose flour, plus additional for dusting
280 grams milk
15 grams salt
6 grams baking powder
Sea salt
To Assemble and Serve:
5 grams extra virgin olive oil
15 grams white onion brunoise
4 grams finely chopped parsley
4 grams thinly sliced chives
Sherry vinegar
Sea salt
20 grams thin half moons of purple radish
Pickled pearl onions
2 grams nigella seeds
2 grams sesame seeds
Chive blossoms
METHOD:
For the Duck Liver:
In a bowl, season duck livers with pink salt. In an 8-quart Cambro, combine milk and 2 liters water; add liver. Refrigerate overnight, or at least 6 hours. Drain livers, pat dry, and arrange on a wire rack lined with fish paper. Season each liver with black pepper and 3 grams kosher salt. On a grill, create a bed of embers. Place a wire rack on top of embers. On the wire rack, sear livers until medium rare.Transfer to a sheet tray; cool. Small dice liver.
For the Chicken Liver Mousse:
In a large pot, bring sugar, pink salt, and 1 liter water to boil. Place ice cubes in a large, heatproof container. Pour brine over ice; cool completely. Add chicken livers; brine 1 hour. Drain livers on a wire rack set over a fish paper-lined sheet tray. When dry, season each liver with 10 grams kosher salt. In a large skillet over high flame, heat oil until smoke wisps; sear livers on one side. Turn livers, add shallots, thyme, and butter. Cook until livers have browned on other side. Deglaze with Madeira and cook livers until medium rare. Remove from heat and drain through a perforated hotel pan, reserving cooking liquid. Cool immediately. In a Vitamix blender, add cooking liquid, livers along with shallots and thyme, and heavy cream. Blend on high speed. While blending, slowly drizzle in butter. When emulsified, season with salt and vinegar. When completely smooth, pass through a chinois into a bain-marie over an ice bath to cool rapidly.
For the Concord Grape Reduction:
In a rondeau over high flame, reduce juice until thick and viscous.
For the Onion Marmellata:
In a rondeau over medium flame, heat oil. Add onions and sauté until lightly browned. Deglaze with wine, vinegar, and 3 kilograms water. Stir in sugar and increase heat to high. Reduce until almost au sec. Cool over ice bath. Add 100 grams Concord Grape Reduction and stir to combine.
For the Roman Matzo:
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a hook, combine flour, milk, salt, and baking powder. Cover and refrigerate dough 1 hour. Heat oven to 325℉. Using a pastry sheeter on the thinnest setting, flatten dough, dusting with flour as needed. Fold dough in half lamination-style and pass through sheeter again. Using ring mold, portion dough. Place portions on a sheet tray. Use a fork to prick holes on the surface of the dough. Using a pasta cutter with a scalloped edge, slice dough into uneven rectangular, about 3 inches wide. Spray pieces with water and sprinkle with sea salt. Bake 10 minutes.
In a bowl, combine 65 grams Duck Liver, 40 grams Chicken Liver Mousse, 10 grams Concord Grape Reduction, olive oil, onion, parsley, and chive. Stir to combine. Season with sherry vinegar and salt. Using two spoons, form three quenelles of liver mixture. Arrange quenelles on a serving plate. Carefully lay radish slices over quenelles in a scalloped pattern. Place pickled pearl onions on three corners, adjacent to the quenelles. Place Roman Matzo to the plate. Garnish with seeds and blossoms.
