1. Soak the sultanas in the brandy for an hour or two. 2. Fully trim the chicken livers ensuring that none of the grungy bits or gristle remain. 3. Cut the grapes in half. 4. Quickly fry the livers in the butter (about 3- 4 minutes) they should still be pink in the centre. 5. Remove the livers from the pan and keep them warm. 6. Turn up the heat to maximum and put the sultanas and brandy in the pan (if it bursts into flame it's OK). 7. Add the stock and the Madeira and reduce until the sauce is quite"sticky" and rich. 8. Adjust the seasoning if necessary. 9. Briefly add the livers and grapes to the pan to warm through and serve with a small dressed salad. 10. Comment: This dish is at its most impressive if served with the right wine, the richness of the sauce and the sweetness of the wine balance each other and takes the"cloying" taste off both. 11. The stock should be fairly strong to start with but if you wish, it can be in a fully reduced state in which case only use a couple of tablespoonfuls and the final reduction with the Madeira will be that much quicker. 12. The livers can be served either by themselves or on one of the following: toast, a piece of bread fried both sides in butter, bread brushed in oil and baked on a baking sheet at 220°C for 10 minutes (in all the above cases trim the bread to a reasonable shape e. g. a circle), croustades, a vol-au-vent case. 13. You can use raisins instead of sultanas. 14. Recommended wine: A well-chilled Monbazillac or a Sauternes. 15. This unlikely combination works superbly well (see above). ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
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