This recipe was inspired by chef’s tasting at the Clifton Inn in Charlottesville, VA. The chef made a maitake mushroom broth and topped it with chicken livers creating a pseudo cappuccino. I’ve taken Heston Blumenthal’s recipe for Mushroom Stock, beefed it up with a bit of Madiera, and then topped it with a warm and foamy version of Julia Child’s chicken liver mousse. Served in espresso cups, this tasting component is rich, slightly alcoholic and a nice surprise element. Unfortunately I do not have a good picture of this one yet.
Ingredients – Serves 6
Mushroom Cappuccino
- 250g mushroom stock
- 70g Madiera (divided)
- 15g minced shallot
- Salt – to taste
Chicken Liver Mousse
- 1c chicken livers
- 1 tbsp. minced shallots
- 1 tbsp. butter
- 3 tbsp. cognac
- 2 tbsp. heavy whipping cream
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1/16 tsp. allspice
- 1/16 tsp. pepper
- 1/4c melted butter
Preparation
Mushroom Cappuccino
- Combine the shallot and 45g of the Madiera in a small saucepan and simmer until reduced to a thick syrup. Strain the liquid and discard the shallot.
- Combine the mushroom stock, reduced syrup and remaining Madiera and warm over low heat.
- Season the mushroom mixture with salt and additional Madiera to taste. Keep warm until serving.
Chicken Liver Mousse
- Trim the livers of any membranes and cut into 1/2″ pieces.
- Melt the 1 tbsp of butter over medium heat in a saute pan. Once the foam has subsided add the livers and shallots and saute for 3 minutes. Scrape everything into a blender.
- Pour the cognac into the pan and boil until it has reduced to 1 tbsp. Pour into the blender.
- Add the cream, salt, allspice and pepper to the blender and blend on high until a smooth puree has formed.
- While the blender is running, slowly add in the melted butter and blend until fully emulsified.
- Transfer the mixture to a container with deep sides. Using a hand blender, create a foam from the mousse by running it at top speed near the surface. This will create lots of air bubbles.
Assembly
- Pour the mushroom mixture into espresso cups
- Gently scoop some of the chicken liver foam from the container and place it on top of the mushroom mixture to resemble foam.
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