Chicken Liver Pâté
Serves 8
Everybody should have a “fancy” appetizer up their sleeve – one that doesn’t break the bank or trap you in the kitchen away from your guests. This is one of mine: a silken, buttery French pâté that you can make ahead and requiring little more than inexpensive chicken livers.
It’s rich, so you’ll want something tart along with it. A jar of French cornichon does the trick, but a quick homemade pickle (like the pickled red onions or pickled apricots included in this book) can be done well in advance with hardly fifteen minutes more work, and is guaranteed to impress.
Ingredients #
- ½ lb. chicken livers
- ½ white onion, thinly sliced
- 1 small clove garlic, smashed and peeled
- 1 bay leaf
- A pinch of allspice
- ¼ tsp thyme leaves
- 2 tbsp. cognac or brandy
- 1 ½ sticks + 2 tbsp. unsalted butter, room temperature
Instructions #
Trim the livers carefully, removing the tough tissue that connects the lobes as well as any fat you find.
Sauté the onion and garlic in 2 tbsp. of butter over medium heat until soft and golden. Add the livers, the bay leaf, the allspice and thyme. Season with salt and pepper and sauté until nearly cooked through. Increase the heat, splash a couple of tablespoons of cognac into the pan and ignite. Cook until flames die down and liquid is reduced. Remove the pan from the heat and cover for five minutes. Remove and discard the bay leaf.
Empty the pan into food processor and pulse until coarsely blended. With the processor running, add the butter a few tablespoons at a time. Season to taste, cover with plastic wrap pressed onto surface, and chill.
Serve the pate with crostini for spreading. I like to serve this with picked apricots, pickled red onions, or both.