Recipe: Apple and Chicken Liver Mousse
Page: 27
Date Cooked: September 16, 2012
When I saw this recipe the first word that came to my mind was "rich." Mousse in general has a rich quality to it, despite its airy texture. Jonathan Waxman's recipe is inspired by an experience he had at a three-star Michelin restaurant in Burgundy. So from the start, I knew the bar was set high.
I coated the livers with sea salt and pepper and set them aside on a plate. I peeled, cored, and diced the apples. I also put the walnuts on a baking sheet to toast lightly in the oven.
I heated olive oil till almost smoking and added the livers, cooking for just a few minutes. Once the chicken livers tuned a mahogany color I removed them from the skillet and put the livers on a plate.
I added the apples and shallots to the pan and cooked until the apples got soft. I turned off the heat, poured in the bourbon and cognac. I then stirred in the heavy cream.
I combined the livers, the apple mixture, and the toasted walnuts in a blender and pureed through. I then added melted butter along with salt and pepper to taste.
You can opt to go one step further, and pass the mousse through a fine-mesh sieve to get an even smoother texture. I served the mousse with some white country bread.
The mousse was a much darker brown that I anticipated and I'm not exactly sure why. But it was delicious. I had to force myself to stop eating it. All the flavors were there - the richness of the butter, heavy cream, bourbon, and cognac...wowsers. The sweetness of the apples worked nicely with those other ingredients. Finally, the meaty/earthy texture of the chicken livers was of course quite prominent. All in all, it was relatively little work for a pretty fancy starter.
Page: 27
Date Cooked: September 16, 2012
When I saw this recipe the first word that came to my mind was "rich." Mousse in general has a rich quality to it, despite its airy texture. Jonathan Waxman's recipe is inspired by an experience he had at a three-star Michelin restaurant in Burgundy. So from the start, I knew the bar was set high.
 |
| Chicken livers, sea salt, black pepper, apples, shallots, walnuts, olive oil, bourbon, cognac, heavy cream, and unsalted butter |
I coated the livers with sea salt and pepper and set them aside on a plate. I peeled, cored, and diced the apples. I also put the walnuts on a baking sheet to toast lightly in the oven.
 |
| 1) Chicken livers coated with sea salt and pepper 2) Diced apples 3) Toasting walnuts |
I heated olive oil till almost smoking and added the livers, cooking for just a few minutes. Once the chicken livers tuned a mahogany color I removed them from the skillet and put the livers on a plate.
 |
| Cooking the chicken livers |
I added the apples and shallots to the pan and cooked until the apples got soft. I turned off the heat, poured in the bourbon and cognac. I then stirred in the heavy cream.
 |
| 1) Cooking apples and shallots 2) Added in bourbon and cognac 3) Stirred in the cream |
I combined the livers, the apple mixture, and the toasted walnuts in a blender and pureed through. I then added melted butter along with salt and pepper to taste.
 |
| Puree-ing the components of the apple and chicken liver mousse |
You can opt to go one step further, and pass the mousse through a fine-mesh sieve to get an even smoother texture. I served the mousse with some white country bread.
 |
| Apple and Chicken Liver Mousse |
The mousse was a much darker brown that I anticipated and I'm not exactly sure why. But it was delicious. I had to force myself to stop eating it. All the flavors were there - the richness of the butter, heavy cream, bourbon, and cognac...wowsers. The sweetness of the apples worked nicely with those other ingredients. Finally, the meaty/earthy texture of the chicken livers was of course quite prominent. All in all, it was relatively little work for a pretty fancy starter.
Enjoy!
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