Bruno Loubet’s smooth chicken liver Pate

Serves 10–12
butter 500g
chicken livers 500g, cleaned, dried and trimmed
eggs 5
salt 5 tsp
freshly ground black pepper ½ tsp
ground allspice ½ tsp
prosciutto slices 12

Flavouring
shallots 100g, peeled and finely sliced
port 50ml
madeira 50ml
brandy 25ml
garlic cloves 3
fresh thyme 3 sprigs

Place all the flavouring ingredients in a saucepan, bring to a gentle simmer and simmer until the shallots are completely soft. You might need to add a bit of water but you should be left with about 2 tablespoons of liquid.

Melt the butter slowly over a gentle heat so that it does not rise in temperature too much. Place the flavouring in a blender with a third of the butter and blitz until puréed and smooth. Then add the chicken livers, eggs, salt, pepper and allspice. Blitz again, then pour in the remaining butter and blitz until the mixture becomes liquid, smooth and pinkish in colour. Pour into a bowl, cover with cling film and place in the fridge for 6 hours to set.

Preheat the oven to 120C/gas mark ½. Line a 1.1 litre terrine mould (about 28cm x 11cm x 7.5cm) with foil, leaving at least a 10cm overhang of foil. Line with the prosciutto slices so that they overlap to cover the base and sides and leave an overhang. Spoon the liver mixture inside, then fold the prosciutto over to encase the mixture. Fold over the foil then cover with the lid.

Place the terrine in a roasting tin and pour in enough hot water to come two-thirds of the way up the sides of the mould. Bake in the oven for 1¼ hours or until a probe inserted into the centre of the pâté reaches 70C or insert a metal skewer and hold it there for 5 seconds; it should feel piping hot. Once it has reached 70C, cook for a further 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. Ideally you should leave it for at least 24 hours before serving to improve the flavour.

To turn the terrine out of its mould, briefly dip in hot water, shake to loosen then turn out on to a serving plate.