For the beetroot pickle
For the red pepper pickle
For the liver parfait
To prepare the beetroot pickle, place the shallots, sugar, peppercorns, salt, bay leaves, fennel seeds and white wine vinegar and balsamic vinegar into a saucepan together with the water. Bring to the boil and reduce to a simmer. Cook for about 5 minutes before adding the diced beetroot. Remove from the heat and spoon into a sterilised jar and seal.
To prepare the red pepper pickle, place the red peppers, chilli, sugar, cumin seeds and pink peppercorns in a saucepan. Pour over the white wine vinegar and water and bring to the boil then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for about 10 minutes. Spoon into a sterilised jar and seal well.
For the parfait, in a large frying pan, melt the butter over a medium heat and add the shallots. Sauté for 5 minutes until softened but not brown. Add the chicken livers, thyme, port and cook for 4 to 5 minutes until the livers are just cooked through. Remove from the heat. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the cooked livers to a food processor and pour in a little liquid, blend until smooth. Spoon the parfait into small pots or ramekins. Allow to cool and place into the fridge to set. Once set, place a sprig or two of thyme on the top of each pot. Spoon over a little melted butter and return the parfait to the fridge.
When ready to serve, take the parfait out 10 minutes before serving. Spoon the pickles into pretty bowls and serve with flat bread or crisp biscuits.
Recipe supplied by Catherine Fulvio
