Ingredients
Serves 6
- 1 knob butter
- 1 onion, peeled and finely chopped (half for pate, and half for chutney)
- 4 sprigs of thyme (2 left whole, and leaves of the other 2 removed and finely chopped
- 400g chicken livers
- 50ml sweet sherry
- 100ml double cream
- 100g butter, cubed
- 1 tsp nutmeg, divided into two equal portions (½ tsp for pate, and ½ tsp for chutney)
- 3 figs, cut into small (about 1cm) pieces
- 50ml red wine vinegar
- 30g brown sugar
- 1 tbsp raisins
- ½ satsuma (juice only)
- 6 walnut halves, roughly chopped
- Salt and pepper
Method
- Put a knob of butter in a large frying pan on a medium heat. When it’s foaming, add the onion, followed by the finely chopped thyme, and fry until the onion has softened, but not coloured.
- Turn the heat up to high, add the livers, and cook until browned on the outside, but remaining slightly pink on the inside.
- Transfer the liver and onion mixture to a blender, and deglaze the pan with the sherry – boiling until reduced by half.
- Tip the sherry from the pan into the processor, add the cream, ½ tsp nutmeg, and season with salt and pepper, then blend until smooth. Add the 100g of cubed butter, and blend once more until combined.
- Pass the blended mixture through a fine sieve, pressing down with the back of a spoon to get everything through into a bowl below.
- Transfer to the fridge for at least three hours to set.
- For the fig chutney, place chopped figs, red wine vinegar, 30g of brown sugar, raisins, satsuma juice, ½ tsp nutmeg, remaining ½ chopped onion, and 2 sprigs of time in a small saucepan, bring to the boil, reduce heat, and leave to simmer for 30 mins. Take off the heat, transfer to a bowl, and leave to cool for 2 hours.
- When the chutney is cooled stir in the chopped walnuts.