A savoury take on the classic French pâtisserie item. Generally, crisp and featherlight choux pastry is filled with a rich custard and seasonal fruit. In ours, we pipe whipped chicken liver parfait inside the pastry ring, before adorning it with pickled blackberries. 

Note - if choux pastry seems too much of a challenge, smear the parfait onto pieces of fried brioche and serve with the blackberries alongside. 

Ingredients

For the choux pastry:
150g plain flour
½ tsp Salt
100g unsalted butter
4 Eggs
250 ml water

For the pickled blackberries:
12 blackberries
50 ml rice vinegar
50 ml water
1 tsp caster sugar

1 x jar Meatsmith Chicken Liver Paté
A dash of cream
1 tablespoon honey
2 - 3 tablespoons chopped hazelnuts
Flaky salt

Method

To pickle the blackberries:
Combine the vinegar, water and sugar in a bowl and whisk until the sugar has dissolved. Add the blackberries, cover and set aside.

To make the Paris Brest:
Combine the ingredients for the pastry into a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, then mix for 2 – 4 minutes until combined. Set aside to rest in the fridge for two hours, then transfer the mixture to a piping bag.

Line a baking tray with baking paper and trace a circle approximately 120mm across in one corner. Repeat 4 - 6 times until the tray space is full. Pipe the pastry onto your stencils, then put the tray in the fridge to rest for another hour. Preheat the oven to 190C fan forced, then bake for 15 minutes. Test with a skewer to see if the pastry is cooked. Set aside to cool.

To assemble:
Turn the chicken liver paté out into a bowl, and whip with a spatula or whisk. If you feel it isn't light enough, add a dash of cream. Transfer to a piping bag.

Cut the choux pastry in ½ to create a base and a lid. Pipe a dollop of the parfait onto the base of the choux, around 2cm high. Place a pickled blackberry alongside it, and then continue all around until the base is full, alternating between the parfait and blackberries.

Place the lid on top, then brush with honey and sprinkle with some roughly chopped hazelnuts and a pinch of salt.