Chef Kolter Livengood at Brightbox Kitchen in the Loop, took home runner-up honors in the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council’s recipe contest for this out-of-the-box savory application featuring chicken liver mousse, fermented blueberry creme fraiche, and even edible flowers.
Ingredients
- ½ cup blueberries, fermented (recipe below)
- Edible flower petals
- Black pepper
- 10 chicken livers
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 1 quart fresh blueberries, plus more decoration
- 1 bottle red wine
- 1 cup butter
- 2 cups cream
- Large slices of bread
Directions
- Ferment 1/2 Cup of blueberries in a 2% salt water with 1% sugar for one week at room temperature, drain the liquid. Macerate this into 1/2 cup buttermilk, add 4 times its volume in heavy whipping cream. Let ferment at 80 degrees for 48 hours, pass through a chinois and reserve in the cooler.
- Spritz fresh edible flower petals with a black pepper infused vinegar and dehydrate overnight.
- Marinate 10 lbs. fresh chicken livers in buttermilk overnight, drain and let dry on a rack until dry to the touch.
- Macerate 1 qt of fresh blueberries into on bottle of red cooking wine overnight at room temperature. Strain through a chinois and press out all the moisture as possible. Reduce this by half.
- Sear the livers in chicken fat in a very hot pan till well caramelized and just warmed through the center. Add to a blender with 1 lb. butter, 2 cups cream, and the red wine blueberry reduction, blend VERY well and pass through a chinois. Cool as fast as possible.
- Pick out as many similarly sized blueberries as you can, using a very sharp knife cut the top and bottom off the blueberries and then slice them perfectly in half. Spritz these slices well in blueberry vinegar.
- Using two ring cutters cut a 1/2 inch slice of bread into a ring about 1cm thick. Fry at medium heat in fresh rendered chicken fat. Reserve on paper towels somewhere warm and dry.
For more, visit the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council’s website for more blueberry recipes and inspiration.
