Duck liver éclair
It may not be your first instinct to put duck liver in a dessert, but if you really want to knock your guests’ socks off with your dessert, I’d keep reading. This éclair with duck liver, Islay whisky and chocolate, which Hidde de Brabander made for the FavorFlav Food Top 100, is guaranteed to be a hit.
Hidde had already made the duck liver terrine with chocolate for his Master Pastry Chef exam, which he passed with flying colors. Especially for the FavorFlav Food Top 100, he developed a complete dessert with it, including a choux pastry filled with chocolate ganache and crunchy crumble.
Match made in heaven
Still not quite sure why you would use duck liver in your dessert? You’re not alone. ‘Duck liver and chocolate are considered an unusual pairing, even though they actually work wonderfully together. In a starter, you often combine duck liver with sweet ingredients too; it goes very well together. The bitterness and fresh acidity of the dark chocolate, combined with the smokiness of the Islay whisky, mean that you’re being attacked from all sides,’ Hidde explains.
Off to the wholesaler
Hidde buys glucose syrup from the wholesaler, but you can also ask your baker if they have it. Otherwise, you can always use honey or golden syrup, although these will change the flavor of the dish. You don’t need to make the sour cherry purée yourself either; you can also get that from the wholesaler. So get yourself a membership card and you can get started on this spectacular dessert.
How to make duck liver éclair
Biscuit
1.Preheat the oven to 190 ºC. Finely grind the sliced almonds with the powdered sugar in a food processor. Add the flour and cocoa powder.
2. Whisk the egg whites with the sugar until light and airy, then mix with the almond mixture. Pour into a large baking pan and bake for approx. 9 minutes. This recipe makes a large quantity, so you may need to work in several batches.
Terrine
1. Preheat the oven to 100 ºC. Clean the liver: remove the veins and any dark spots. Add the salt, pepper and whisky. Leave to rest for 10 minutes.
2. Finely chop the chocolate in a food processor and mix with the liver. Place the mixture in a terrine mold. Put the terrine mold in a large baking dish filled with water and cook au bain-marie in the oven for approx. 30 minutes.
Gel
1. Bring the cherry purée to a boil. Add the agar and continue cooking for approx. 3 minutes. Pour into a large baking dish and leave to set in the refrigerator for approx. 2 hours.
2. Blend the jelly until smooth in a Thermomixer or food processor and add the whisky.
Ganache
1. Break the chocolate into large pieces and set aside in a large bowl. Gently bring the cherry syrup and glucose syrup to a boil.
2. Pour the warm syrup over the chocolate, stirring until everything has melted and a smooth mixture has formed.
Crumble
1. Preheat the oven to 160 ºC. Mix all the dry ingredients and work in the butter. Spread the crumble over baking paper and bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes.
Choux pastry
1. Preheat the oven to 180 ºC. Bring the milk, butter, sugar and salt mixture to a boil. Sift the flour twice and add it to the milk. Mix in the flour and cook until it starts to sweat.
2. Allow the batter to cool briefly, then fold in the eggs one at a time. Spoon the batter into a piping bag fitted with a plain nozzle and pipe rounds onto a baking sheet lined with baking paper. Bake the choux pastries for approx. 15 minutes until golden brown.
Assembly
1. Make a small cut in the bottom of the choux pastries. Put the ganache in a piping bag and pipe it into the choux pastries.
2. Cut the biscuit and duck liver terrine into equally sized slices. Place a slice of biscuit on each plate, topped with a slice of terrine.
3. Shape the gel into cherry-sized balls and place a few on each plate. Place one choux pastry on each plate and finish with a tablespoon of crumble.
