Duck liver pate with mushrooms

Ingredients for 8 servings:

• 400 g liver(s) (duck foie gras), fresh or frozen, uncooked
• 1 large guinea fowl, including breast and thigh
• 2 cl cognac
• 4 cl port wine
• 100 g chanterelles, fresh or 1 small can
• 20 g mushrooms (autumn trumpet mushrooms), fresh, or dried and soaked
• Butter, for frying and stewing
• salt and pepper
• curry powder
• Sea salt (fleur de sel)

Instructions

Working time approx. 1 hour 30 minutes; Rest time approx. 1 day 12 hours; Total time approx. 1 day 13 hours 30 minutes

as a festive starter with salad

Carefully trim the foie gras (remove tendons) and cut into walnut-sized pieces. Season with salt and pepper, drizzle with cognac and half of the port, then cover and refrigerate overnight. Bone out the guinea fowl breast and legs, season with fleur de sel, drizzle with the remaining port, and also cover and refrigerate overnight. The next day, fry the guinea fowl breast in a little butter until pink, then cook the leg meat for about 15 minutes. Sauté the chanterelles and trumpet mushrooms in butter and season with salt, pepper, and a little curry powder. In a 1.4-liter terrine dish, alternate layers of duck liver, mushrooms, and guinea fowl, pressing firmly to ensure the pâté holds together. Place in a preheated oven at 100°C (212°F), cook for 45 minutes, and let stand for 24 hours before slicing. This dish goes well with a green salad (lamb’s lettuce or frisée), perhaps very small diced tomatoes, some dill, chervil, and a vinaigrette made with white balsamic vinegar. A sweet addition, such as elderberry chutney, is also essential. (Recipe in my profile.)