As dishes revolve though the seasons and as we churn through our culinary repertoires on and off menus around town. This high end pate has remained a constant for us. Its always requested, despite what vegan sociopaths who really fear their meats would have us believe. Its always on my radar of things to do. At one point we were producing this for 3 busy restaurants.
There are a few recipes kicking around for various dishes that if you had been cooking at a certain place or time you will have in your book too. recipes do the rounds, and this one is no execption. If your time and place was the London Restuarant scene in the mid to late '90s then you have probably cooked this before, at minimum ate a slice.
Marco gets credit for alot of these recipes, though he may have gleaned this from the Roux Brothers. I can`t be sure.
We would make this from time to time in London, and i enjoyed eating it at Mirabelle, when omelette Arnold Bennett didn`t whet my appetite. Lunch in Mayfair wasn`t lunch in Mayfair with out it.
Several cooks brought this dish over to Vancouver with them as they migrated. I guess i could be counted in that group too, along with a chap i had the pleasure of working with at the onset of the restaurant who had worked at Mirabelle. So naturally it ended up on our menu once the dust had settled post opening.
One piece of kitchen kit i find very usefull in this recipe,( which will no doubt annoy the hell out of you amateur cooks ), is a thermo mix. This device is in laymans terms a highspeed blender that you can set a temperature on. Though very handy when twisting up `Parfait. Its by no means essential. Cook and puree in one machine. Set the time, set the speed, set the temp and walk away. I only use it to make sure that the mixture is thoroughly combined, and a little heat just helps this along, before passing through a fine chinois and then cooking dans le bain marie for the rest of the cooking process.
The Parfait is set, cooled, and chilled. Truffle butter enrobed. Sliced and eaten with toasted brioche. A prune and armagnac preserve is a lovely addition, as are cornichons or some boozey jelly - Sauternes, Calvados you get the picture.