Method

For the chicken liver parfait

1. Put the sliced onion, garlic and sage in a heavy-based saucepan over a low to medium heat with a good glug of olive oil, a few good pinches of salt and pepper and sweat until the onion is soft and translucent, about 10-12 minutes.
2. Add the port and continue cooking with the onions until it reduces and becomes syrupy. Add the sherry vinegar and cook for a few minutes more before carefully transferring the content of the saucepan into the bowl of a food processor. (It will need to be large enough to take the onions, livers and all the butter).
3. In the same pan you cooked the onions heat another good splash of olive oil over a medium heat. Season the chicken livers and fry until brown on the outside but still perfectly pink in the middle, no more than 4 minutes. Remove from the heat. It is important you do not overcook the livers as it will ruin the texture and flavour of the parfait.
4. Place the chicken livers in the food processor with the cooked onions and process until smooth. With the motor still running, very slowly trickle in the melted butter until fully incorporated.
5. Push the parfait mix through a coarse sieve into a large jug and then decant into a jar/s or bowl/s.
6. Melt the remaining butter and pour over the back of a spoon carefully on top of the parfait to create a seal. Pop into the fridge to cool and set (at least 2 hours but preferably over night). The parfait will last 4 – 5 days like this in the fridge as long as the seal of butter is not broken.

For the pickled blackberries

1. Place all the pickling ingredients (with the exception of the blackberries) into a small saucepan and cook on a medium heat until the sugar and salt dissolve and the liquid is just coming to a boil. Take off the heat and leave to cool completely.
2. Put the blackberries in a sterilised jar (see hints and tips) – you want them to fit snugly, with a 2cm gap at the top of the jar – then pour over the cooled liquid, making sure the berries are fully submerged.
3. Screw on the lid and leave at room temperature for five days, by which time they’ll be ready to eat. Store in the fridge, where they’ll keep for up to three months.

 For the spiced buckwheat cakes

1. Put all of the dry ingredients for the cakes in a bowl and whisk it, to break up any lumps. Add the wet ingredients and whisk again to form a thick batter. Leave to stand for 30 mins to allow the bicarbonate to react with the acid in the buttermilk.
2. Generously butter a 24 hole mini-muffin tin and once the batter has rested, fill up each hole till just over ¾ full. Pop in a preheated oven set at 170°C fan and cook for 20 mins, until the cakes are well risen in the centre and brown.
3. Allow to cool for about 10 mins before removing from the tin. If you have trouble removing the cakes from the tin, drop it from a short height and on to a work surface a few times to dislodge them.
4. Eat the cakes on the same day to get the best results. However, if you want to make these in advance they can be frozen and the re-heated when required.

To serve

1. Take about ¼ of the blackberries out of your jar and strain off any excess pickling juice. Using a fork mash up the blackberries until you are left with a rudimentary ‘jam’.
2. I find it easier to place the parfait into a piping bag before serving, however a spoon or knife will suffice. Cut the cakes in half and pipe (or spread) a generous portion of parfait onto the bottom half of each cake. Spoon over some of the blackberries and replace the lid of the cake on top.
3. I finish the top of my cakes with a sprinkling of beetroot powder but that is completely optional (see hints and tips).

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