Harvest Duck Liver Mousse

Recipe by Jimmy Burke / Photo by Michael Piazza / Styled by Catrine Kelty

When I first began working for Ben and Jane Thompson at Harvest in the mid-1970s, they sent me to Paris. I staged with a classic French butcher and ate my way through 3-star restaurants. I brought back many wonderful recipes for charcuterie, mousses and pâtés and put them on the menu at Harvest. Here is an easy adaptation of one of my favorites.

Makes 2 (4-ounce) ramekins, serving 4

8 ounces duck livers (or substitute with chicken livers if duck livers are hard to find), trimmed and soaked in milk for a few hours
salt and black pepper to taste
1 shallot, finely diced
6 tablespoons softened unsalted butter, divided
2 tablespoons brandy
¼ cup heavy cream
pinch of quatre épices (also known as pâté spices, a blend of ground white pepper, cloves, nutmeg and ginger) or you can use allspice
2 sprigs fresh thyme and 4 small fresh sage leaves, for serving
buttered toast points or a sliced baguette, for serving

After soaking, pat trimmed livers dry and season with salt and pepper. Over mediumlow heat, sauté shallots in 1 tablespoon butter until soft, then add livers and cook a few minutes per side. Do not overcook. Add brandy and reduce by half. Remove from heat.

Add the mixture to the bowl of a food processor and blend to a fine paste. Add 4 tablespoons butter, cream, ½ teaspoon salt and spices; blend again until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning, adding more salt if needed.

Pour into two individual 4-ounce ramekins. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and pour evenly over each pâté, tilting to cover completely. Lay a sprig of thyme and 2 sage leaves into the butter and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or until fully chilled. Serve with toasted, buttered bread.

This recipe appeared in the Winter 2026 issue as part of a larger story: How The Harvest Keeps Its Cool.