Fine Herb and Cognac Liverwurst

Remove bile ducts and tendons from the pork liver, cut into 3 cm pieces and completely submerge in whole milk. Marinate covered in the refrigerator for 24 hours. Then drain the milk, rinse the liver cold and pat dry thoroughly.

Peel and finely dice shallots. Slowly and evenly sauté in butter over medium heat until translucent without browning, approx. 8-10 minutes. Deglaze with 10 ml cognac and reduce completely. Let cool and set aside.

Cut pork belly and back fat into cubes and cook at 80°C in lightly salted water for 45 minutes until soft. Cook the marinated liver pieces separately at 72°C for only 8-10 minutes gently – still tender-pink inside. Collect cooking broth warm.

Pass all still-hot ingredients twice through the finest 3 mm grinder plate. Then emulsify in a bowl cutter or high-performance blender to an absolutely fine emulsion. Add curing salt, spices, fresh herbs and sautéed shallots. Work in the remaining cognac (20 ml) at the end with the cutter running. Adjust the creamy consistency with 80-120 ml warm cooking broth.

For maximum elegance, pass the hot fine mixture through a coarse sieve. Immediately fill into pork casings caliber 40-45, collagen casings or terrine molds. Do not trap air bubbles, tie off firmly. The mixture should still be at least 55°C when filling.

Gently poach the filled sausages in a water bath at exactly 76-78°C until a core temperature of 72°C is reached. For caliber 42, this takes approx. 25-30 minutes. Avoid temperature fluctuations – consistent heat is important for the fine emulsion.

Immediately shock sausages in ice water to stop the cooking process. Let drain and dry at room temperature for 30 minutes. Optionally cold smoke over alder wood chips at max. 20-22°C for 1-2 hours – this gives a subtle, elegant smoky note without overwhelming the herb-cognac flavor. Store in the refrigerator at 2-4°C, consume within 5 days.