Chicken livers and sherry

1.Bring one third sherry, shallot, garlic and thyme to the boil in a small saucepan and cook over high heat until reduced to 20ml (15-25 minutes). Discard thyme and set aside.

2.Heat 40gm butter in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add liver and cook without browning until medium and still pink in centre (4-5 minutes). Cool slightly, then transfer liver with a slotted spoon to a food processor, discarding pan juices. Process with sherry reduction until smooth, add remaining butter and process until combined. Season to taste and pass through a fine sieve. Pour mixture into four 1 cup-capacity ramekins and refrigerate until set (3-4 hours).

3.Meanwhile, bring remaining sherry to a rapid simmer in a small saucepan over high heat. Remove from heat. Squeeze excess water from gelatine, add to sherry and stir to dissolve. Strain, cool to room temperature, then spoon over chicken liver parfait and refrigerate overnight to set.

4.Preheat oven to 220C. Roll out pastry to 3mm-thick, cut into 7cm x 4cm rectangles and place on a baking paper-lined heavy oven tray. Top with a piece of baking paper, then another heavy baking tray. Bake until golden and crisp (10-15 minutes). Cool, then serve chicken liver parfait with puff pastries.