Duck Liver Mousse

Remove visible fat and connective tissue from duck liver. Rinse liver and pat dry.

Cut liver into small pieces. Combine chopped liver with half of the cider in a bowl. Marinate in refrigerator for 1-2 hours.

Peel shallot. Peel apple, remove core and cut into quarters. Finely dice shallot and apple.

Rinse thyme, shake dry and pluck leaves. Finely chop half of the thyme. Set remaining thyme aside.

Place liver in a sieve over a bowl and drain well. Reserve liquid.

Heat 1 teaspoon butter in a skillet and sauté liver over medium heat for about 45 seconds. Remove and put on a plate.

Place another 1 teaspoon butter in skillet. Sauté shallot, chopped apple and thyme for about 45 seconds. Add 2 tablespoons cider and the liquid collected from the liver and cook for about 1 minute.

Add liver to skillet and bring to a boil briefly. Place liver mixture in a food processor.

Melt remaining butter. Purée liver mixture until smooth, and with food processor running, slowly add melted butter in a thin stream to liver. Season with salt and pepper.

Press liver mixture through a fine strainer or sieve, pressing with the back of a spoon. Let cool for 10 minutes. Stir in cold whipping cream. Fill 4 150 ml (approximately 5 1/4-ounce) glasses with the liver mixture.

Tap the glasses several times on a towel or cloth to smooth out the surface. Cool in refrigerator for about 1 hour.

Soak gelatin in cold water for 10 minutes. Boil remaining cider and apple juice, season lightly with salt and add reserved thyme leaves. Remove gelatin from water and dissolve into the hot liquid while stirring.