Custard isn’t always sweet! Made with chicken liver (and as a proportion of the mixture, not much) this delicate creation tastes of nothing else. It is lovely as a starter served warm or cold with a few salad leaves and some toast or crusty bread.

Ingredients - makes 6-8 individual custards

200g chicken (or duck) livers
200ml double cream
250ml milk
2 eggs
3 egg yolks
small sprig of thyme
1 - 2 cloves garlic
salt & pepper
butter (to grease the moulds)

6 - 8 small ramekins or dariole moulds

Method

Preset the oven to 160°C

Have some ramekins or darioles ready and buttered generously. They will cook in a bain marie, so have a deep tray available on which they can stand and be surrounded by water.

Trim any yellow/green areas from the livers - these will be bitter - and skin and crush the garlic. Place the livers, garlic, cream, milk, eggs, yolks and thyme in a food processor or blender and blitz to a thick, smooth mixture. Season and taste (not nearly as unpleasant as you might think), adjust seasoning if necessary and pour into buttered ramekins. Cover loosely with foil and surround with boiling water to 1/3 up the side of the ramekins and pop in the oven for 30 minutes or until they are lightly firm in the centre and shrinking from the sides. Rest for 5 minutes before unmoulding.