CookEat Recipe
Cold Liver and Truffle Pie
A closed pastry pie with fine calf and chicken liver filling, Marsala and black truffle, served cold in thin slices.
Method
Steps
Step 1
Gather the ingredients: 500 g professionally prepared calf liver, thinly sliced; 4 professionally prepared chicken livers, each halved; 75 g butter for the filling and mould: 35 g for the first cooking, 35 g added later and 5 g for greasing; 50 g soft fresh bread crumb; 20 g grated Parmesan; 100 ml Marsala; 6 tablespoons ready-to-use beef jus or broth, about 90 ml; 1 whole egg and 2 egg yolks for the filling; 1 bay leaf; 30 g black truffle, brushed clean and cut into small wedges; Salt and black pepper; 250 g plain flour, plus a little for rolling; 80 g cold butter for the pastry; 2 teaspoons potable food-grade alcohol, about 10 ml; 2 teaspoons sugar, about 8 g; 2 egg yolks for the pastry; Juice of 1 lemon wedge, about 1 teaspoon; 5 g salt for the pastry; Cold water, only if needed to bring the dough together; 1 additional egg yolk beaten with 1 teaspoon water, for glazing.
Step 2
Make the pastry while the filling cooks. Rub the 80 g cold butter into the 250 g flour, then add the sugar, 5 g salt, two yolks, the potable food-grade alcohol and lemon juice. Add cold water a little at a time only as needed for a firm but rollable dough. Use alcohol sold for food or drink, never denatured alcohol. Work briefly until combined, cover and refrigerate for about 30–60 minutes. This is an estimated mixing and resting method for the source ingredient formula; do not taste raw dough.
Step 3
Put the truffle wedges and the 100 ml Marsala in a small saucepan. Bring just to a simmer, then lift out the truffle with a slotted spoon and reserve both truffle and wine separately. The wine is used again for the liver, so no extra Marsala is needed.
Step 4
Put the thin calf-liver slices and halved chicken livers in a frying pan with the whole bay leaf and the first 35 g butter. Cook gently until the butter is mostly absorbed, then add the other 35 g butter, salt and pepper. Add the reserved Marsala and cook over moderately high heat for about 4–5 minutes, extending as needed until all liver centres reach at least 74°C. Lift out the livers and discard the whole bay leaf.
Step 5
Stir the bread crumb into the remaining pan juices to make a soft paste. Pound or process the cooked liver and bread paste very finely, then press through a sieve. Let cool briefly and mix in the Parmesan, one whole egg, the two filling yolks and the six tablespoons jus or broth. Keep cool while preparing the mould.
Step 6
Heat the oven to 180°C. Grease a hinged pie mould of about 1½ litres with the separate 5 g butter. Roll the pastry to about 3 mm thick, reserve a lid and line the base and sides, sealing all joins. Spoon in the liver mixture, distributing the reserved truffle wedges through it. Cover with the pastry lid, seal its edge and cut a small central steam vent. Brush with the extra yolk-and-water glaze.
Step 7
Bake for about 50–70 minutes until the pastry is cooked and golden and the filling centre reaches at least 74°C. Let steam subside briefly, remove the hinged mould and cut into portions if needed for rapid cooling. Refrigerate promptly in shallow containers within 2 hours, at 4°C or colder, and chill until cold throughout, about 3–4 hours. Serve cold as twelve small portions and eat within 2–3 days.
Cooked it? Rate it.
Cooked 0 times