The foie gras de canard for this recipe was supplied by Arkadia Butcher at Portomaso, which also sells terrine de foie gras, which is similar to the recipe below.
400g of fresh foie gras de canard, 400g of fresh chicken livers, 200ml of ruby port, 200ml of madeira, 100ml of brandy, 300g of shallots (peeled and finely sliced), sel rose (optional), three garlic cloves (peeled and finely sliced), sea salt, two large sprigs of thyme, eight eggs (at room temperature), 800g of unsalted butter (melted and just above blood heat, 37C), + another 150g unsalted butter for finishing and serving, a terrine mould 30 x 11 x 10cm deep, a very fine sieve, a bain-marie.
For the rhubarb chutney: three pods of cardamom, a stick of cinnamon, four cloves (msiemer tal-qronfol), two tablespoonfuls of sugar, one tablespoonful of vegetable oil, 500g of rhubarb (diced), one small onion (chopped), a small piece of ginger root (minced), a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes, a glassful of red wine, two tablespoonfuls of grenadine syrup.
Preheat the oven to gas mark 3/160C. Pour the port, madeira and brandy into a pan and add the shallots, garlic and thyme. Bring it to the boil and let it bubble until it is reduced almost to nothing. Remove the thyme. Slice the foie gras and chop the chicken livers. Place them in a warm pan and heat them to just above blood heat (37C), covered with one level dessertspoonful of sea salt. Place the port mixture and the livers in a liquidiser and blend them until thoroughly smooth. You may need to do this in batches. Break in the eggs, and mix well. Add and mix in 800g of warm melted butter then, working quickly, push the mixture through a very fine sieve into a warm container. Pour it into the terrine mould, and cover it tightly with a piece of kitchen foil. Place it in a bain-marie, and cook it in the preheated oven for 70 minutes. Remove it from the bain-marie, let it cool, and then refrigerate it for 24 hours.
To finish, melt 50g of butter, and soften the remaining 100g. Emulsify both lots by whisking them together; this lightens the butter. Spread a thin layer on top of the parfait, and then return it to the refrigerator to set. When it is done, run a hot knife around the edges of the mould and turn the parfait out onto a board. Butter the sides in the same way and return it to the refrigerator, on a dish. Slice it with a hot knife and serve the parfait slices with toasted Barbetta buns and a spoonful of rhubarb chutney. Barbetta buns are sold by Barbetta Bakery in Zejtun. These are sweet Maltese buns which are a perfect substitute for brioche, the traditional accompaniment for foie gras.
To make the rhubarb chutney: grind together the cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and sugar in a coffee grinder. In a saucepan, heat the vegetable oil. Sauté the rhubarb, onions, and ginger until soft. Add the ground spices, pepper flakes, wine and grenadine. Stir well. Simmer the mixture until it has reduced to chutney consistency, stirring occasionally so that it does not stick.