Recipe: Appetizer:
Duck Liver Terrine with Apple Mango Chutney

Start the terrine two days before you plan to serve it. You’ll need two nights of refrigeration time!

Apple-Mango Chutney:
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons diced white onion
¼ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled and cored and cut into small wedges
1 ripe mango, peeled and pitted and diced
¼ cup cider vinegar
½ teaspoon mustard seeds
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 bay leaf
1 whole cinnamon stick
3 whole cloves
½ cup apple cider

Terrine:
¾ pound duck livers, trimmed
1 ½ cups whole milk
¼ cup port
1 pound lean pork, diced
1 pound pork fat back, diced
2 teaspoons salt
¼ teaspoon allspice
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon cloves
¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
½ teaspoon dried thyme
½ cup heavy cream
3 fresh thyme sprigs
2 fresh bay leaves

Make chutney: Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and saute until tender but not browned. Stir in brown sugar and cook for 2 minutes. Add remaining ingredients, except cider. Stir well, cover and cook over medium heat until apples have softened – 5 to 10 minutes.

Uncover, add cider and cook over low heat until reduced to a syrupy, chutney consistency – 10 to 15 minutes. Let cool before serving.

Terrine: Combine duck livers, milk, and port in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, drain the livers and place in a food processor. Process until completely smooth. Transfer to a bowl.

Combine the pork, pork fat back, salt, spices, pepper, and thyme in the bowl of a food processor. Add cream and process for about a minute to combine thoroughly. Add the liver mixture and pulse until well-combined.

Place the mixture into a 10x3½x3½ " terrine. Decorate the top with the thyme sprigs and bay leaves. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350F. Place terrine in a deep baking ban and pour hot water into the pan until it reaches 2/3 up the side of the terrine. Bake, uncovered, for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Use an instant-read thermometer to ensure that the temperature in the middle of the terrine has reached 140F. Remove from oven, remove terrine from pan, let cool, and refrigerate overnight.

To serve: cut the terrine into slices and arrange on individual plates. Garnish with a spoonful of the chutney.

Wine Skinny Match: Sparkling, sparkling, sparkling! From vintage Champagne to California sparkling to Moscato d'Asti -- your choice!

from Party Planning, december 2001