Brochettes de Foies de Volaille

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •12-inch (30 cm) heavy skillet
• •Small saucepan
• •Eight 8-inch (20 cm) flat metal skewers
• •Rimmed sheet pan with wire rack
• •Pastry brush
• •Instant-read thermometer

Instructions

1. 1

   Set the grill station

   Set an oven rack 4 to 5 inches (10 to 12 cm) below the broiler. Line a rimmed sheet pan with foil, place a wire rack over it, and arrange eight short metal skewers beside the stove. Turn the broiler to high once the bacon is blanched. Have the crumbs in a shallow dish and every ingredient measured before searing the liver; once the butter foams, the work moves quickly.

2. 2

   Blanch the bacon

   Put the bacon squares in a small saucepan with the cold water and bring them slowly to a bare simmer. Simmer for 2 minutes, then drain and dry them thoroughly. Blanching draws off excess salt and begins cooking the bacon so it can finish alongside the delicate liver. Keep it supple and pale at this stage; browning comes under the grill.

3. 3

   Brown the mushrooms

   Melt 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 28 g) of the butter in a wide skillet over high heat. When the foam subsides, add the mushrooms in one uncrowded layer with ¼ teaspoon (1.25 ml / 1.5 g) of the salt. Sauté for 3 to 4 minutes, turning once, until their faces are deeply browned but the slices remain firm enough to skewer. Transfer them to a clean plate. If they release water, keep the heat high and let that liquid boil away before allowing them to color.

4. 4

   Raidir the livers

   Trim away sinew, clotted spots, and every trace of green bile, then pat the liver collops completely dry. Season with the remaining salt and the pepper. Wipe out the skillet, melt another 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 28 g) of butter over fierce heat, and sear the livers in two batches for only 20 to 30 seconds per side. Their surfaces should tighten and take light brown color while the centers remain visibly raw. This is raidir, not final cooking. If the livers shed liquid and begin to stew, lift them onto a clean tray, discard the liquid, wipe and reheat the pan, then sear them briefly in fresh foaming butter. Ça se rattrape. Do not partly cook the livers and hold them; proceed directly to assembly and final grilling.

   A dry surface and an uncrowded pan matter more than an expensive liver. Moisture turns the butter sear into a grey simmer.
5. 5

   Build and crumb

   Follow the assembly of Brochettes de Rognons (No. 1343): thread each skewer with liver collops alternating with blanched bacon squares and sautéed mushroom slices, beginning and ending with a mushroom where possible. Leave a narrow breath between pieces so the heat can reach their edges. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 28 g) of butter, brush every surface generously, then turn the skewers through the bread raspings and press lightly so an even, fine coat adheres.

6. 6

   Grill to bronze

   Lay the skewers on the prepared rack and broil for 2 minutes. Turn them and continue grilling, checking every minute, until the crumbs are deep gold, the bacon edges are bronzed, and the thickest liver collop reaches 165°F (74°C), usually 5 to 7 minutes in total. If the crumbs darken before the liver is safely cooked, lower the tray, change the oven to 400°F (200°C), and finish for 2 to 4 minutes. The crust is rescued and the centers stay tender.

   For an outdoor barbecue, cook the skewers on a preheated perforated grill tray or plancha over medium-high direct heat with the lid closed, turning once. The solid surface protects the buttered crumbs from falling into the fire.
7. 7

   Serve them standing

   Rest the brochettes for 2 minutes, then transfer them directly to a warm platter, two skewers per person. They are served as they stand, exactly as the source intends: no sauce, no lemon, and no decorative garnish to soften the crisp crumbs. Bring them to the table while the butter still gleams. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Choose chicken livers that are glossy, plump, and deep burgundy, with no sour smell or dry edges. Cut away every green-stained patch generously; bile is intensely bitter and cannot be rescued once cooked.
• •Raspings are very fine crumbs made from dry bread, not coarse panko. Rub day-old bread through a grater or pulse it finely, then sieve out large pieces. The fine coat browns quickly without burying the liver.
• •Flat metal skewers keep the liver and mushrooms from spinning when turned. If wooden skewers are all you have, soak them for 30 minutes and shield their exposed ends with foil under the broiler.
• •A lightly chilled Beaujolais-Villages has enough fruit for the liver and enough freshness for the butter and bacon. Serve the brochettes before the wine loses its cool.
• •These are best eaten immediately. Refrigerate cooked leftovers within 2 hours and keep them for no more than 1 day; reheat at 400°F (200°C) until they again reach 165°F (74°C), accepting that the liver will be firmer.

Advance Preparation

• •Blanch the bacon and sauté the mushrooms up to 4 hours ahead. Chill them separately, then bring them out 15 minutes before assembly so they do not cool the skewers.
• •Trim and slice the raw livers up to 6 hours ahead, arranging them on absorbent paper in a covered container in the refrigerator. Dry and season them immediately before searing.
• •Do not sear the livers in advance. Once they have been stiffened in butter, assemble and grill them without delay.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (2 skewers, about 170g)