Liverwurst

[NulloModo]

How does everyone around here feel about Liverwurst?

I was having a serious hankering today so I picked some up from the grocery, slathered a flax/pumpernickle roll with some mayo and strong mustard, a thick slice of onion, and several slices of the wonderful meat, and enjoyed one of the nicest lunches I have had in a while. So creamy, so flavorful, with a subtle spice underneath, how do you all prepare it?

[winesonoma]

With onions and swiss on a sandwich or mixed with mushrooms and cream cheese and a touch or brandy in the food processor as a mock Pate.

[RSincere]

Good stuff! I haven't had it since I was a kid. (Plain on Wonder Bread.) That's the same thing as Braunschweiger, right? My mom always had it on hand because wrapping a pill in liverwurst is the best way to get your dog to take it.

[viva]

I adore liverwurst - it's unfortunate that it gets such a bad rap.

I like it on a slice of sourdough with swiss, under the broiler for a couple of minutes to soften the wurst and grill the cheese. Heaven.

Boar's Head makes a nice smoked liverwurst that's a good standard.

Edited August 21, 2004 by viva (log)

[hjshorter]

Love it, on rye or pumpernickel, mustard, and thinly sliced onion.

I almost never eat it because of the fat content, but I buy it frequently for my skinny husband (the one with the cholesterol count of 150).

[Mabelline]

Ah, what heaven is some braunsweiger with onion or apple and horseradish, on any sort of GOOD bread!!! It is so good in the early morning before you go out to work.

But, I have to say, I wouldn't turn down any of the preceeding ways. Except the dog pill. Well, maybe even the dog pill, if I didn't know aforehand....

[Jaymes]

Yum.

My very favorite sandwich is liverwurst & fat juicy slices of sweet summer tomatoes, extra mayo, on white bread.

Second favorite is liverwurst & fat juicy slices of sweet summer onions, extra mayo, on white bread.

Yum.

I also make a "Party Pate" recipe with it. It's yum, too.

[winesonoma]

Yum.

My very favorite sandwich is liverwurst & fat juicy slices of sweet summer tomatoes, extra mayo, on white bread.

Second favorite is liverwurst & fat juicy slices of sweet summer onions, extra mayo, on white bread.

Yum.

I also make a "Party Pate" recipe with it. It's yum, too.

Share the party pate. Might be just like mine.

[Holly Moore]

For too short a time there was a vendor, Siegfried's German Foods, in Philadelphia's Reading Terminal Market that made his own liverwurst and braunschweiger. It was the best I've had.

My fallback - Usinger's in Milwaukee. I often add some to my hot dog and fresh brat order.

[gariotin]

Ah - once a year, I let myself have a sandwich: liverwurst on toasted pumpernickle with sliced red onion, lettuce, tomato and Hellman's mayo. Tastes like home!

[Jinmyo]

Great on hamburgers with bacon and mustard.

[Holly Moore]

Great on hamburgers with bacon and mustard.

My gullet screams, "Eureka!!!" Can't wait to bite into one.

Sort of everyman's beef wellington.

[Carrot Top]

That's the same thing as Braunschweiger, right? 

I think braunsweiger is smoked liverwurst...

...and as for my contribution to the thread of 'how to eat it', I had an Armenian boyfriend once who made great sandwiches with thick sliced black bread, braunsweiger, and thinly sliced cucumbers. The crispness of the cukes against the buttery-ness of the braunsweiger with the slight bitterness of the bread was marvelous.

Or at least I believe it was...I hope it was not really the effect of all that good beer that had to be consumed along with it...

[Carrot Top]

Great on hamburgers with bacon and mustard.

That sounds like the way I heard they serve hamburgers at McDonalds in the south-west of France...topped with a sliver of foie gras....

Sigh....

[mighty quinn]

I almost never eat it because of the fat content, but I buy it frequently for my skinny husband (the one with the cholesterol count of 150). 

for all of you cholesterol/fat conscious liverwurst lovers out there- boarshead makes a "light" liverwurst. it doesn't quite spread as well as regular liverwurst or braunschweiger, but if you're jonesin' for wurst it, does the trick. i like mine on crusty sourdough with mayo, tomato red onion and some coarse-ground black pepper. oh yeah, gotta have a cold yuengling lager with that!

[hjshorter]

Thanks for the tip about the reduced fat liverwurst. There's a market near us that carries Boar's Head.

I'm amazed at all the folks who put mayo on liverwurst. That's a combination that never occured to me, maybe it's too fatty? In our house there are some sandwiches that demand mayo, and others mustard and liverwurst falls in the mustard category.

Thanks Mabelline for mentioning horseradish - that sounds delicious.

[Bux]

Great on hamburgers with bacon and mustard.

My gullet screams, "Eureka!!!" Can't wait to bite into one.

Sort of everyman's beef wellington.

Aptly put, though I'd look for the addition of some mushrooms.

Great [liverwurst] on hamburgers with bacon and mustard.

That sounds like the way I heard they serve hamburgers at McDonalds in the south-west of France...topped with a sliver of foie gras....

Sigh....

This however sounds like the stuff of urban legend, but who knows.

[Bux]

There are various preparations of foie gras from mi-cuit entier to pâte de foie gras and I'd say that a good liverwurst may not be so different from some of what's sold as pâte de foie gras and perhaps a better value. A pure foie gras product might be healthier as duck and goose fat is healthy in terms of the lack of saturated fats. In fact replacing pork fat with commerical mayonnaise that may be loaded with trans fats may not be so much of an improvment for those watching cholesterol. Some fat suffers from a bad rap, while others don't deserve the good press they've received over the years.

[Carrot Top]

Great [liverwurst] on hamburgers with bacon and mustard.

That sounds like the way I heard they serve hamburgers at McDonalds in the south-west of France...topped with a sliver of foie gras....

Sigh....

This however sounds like the stuff of urban legend, but who knows.

Could be...but I seem to remember the source I heard it from being relatively reliable...

Just tried to check by going to McDonalds.fr online and though it was highly entertaining, there was no info on this nor any e-mail address to contact.

Might be like some of the McDonald's in Maine, where they serve lobster rolls, but the corporate website does not offer that detail.

Hmm. Guess someone needs to go find out!

[Pickles]

Process a large chuck of liverwurst in the food processor with some fresh garlic cloves, and a splash of the BEST scotch you have lying around. Add some salt and pepper to taste and serve on plain crackers...like Carr's Water Biscuits. It'll blast your socks off. People are in awe of this "pate" and it takes 20 seconds to make. It "wows" guests who pop in. You can sashay into the kitchen after saying "Let me whip up an apetizer...I don't know WHAT I have, though!" :::::applying back of hand to forehead:::: ...and then come out with this! Just do NOT plan a romantic evening after eating this pate. Your breath stinks for days, but it's worth it. And it's really good if made a day or two ahead.

[NulloModo]

I tried the liverwurst with fried egg thing the other day for breakfast, wow, what a match made in heaven. Of course, that day after having Carne Frita for lunch from a local Puerto Rican place I decided that my arteries just wouldn't be able to handle dinner and had to call it a night lol.

[jsolomon]

Process a large chuck of liverwurst in the food processor with some fresh garlic cloves, and a splash of the BEST scotch you have lying around. Add some salt and pepper to taste and serve on plain crackers...like Carr's Water Biscuits. It'll blast your socks off. People are in awe of this "pate" and it takes 20 seconds to make. It "wows" guests who pop in. You can sashay into the kitchen after saying "Let me whip up an apetizer...I don't know WHAT I have, though!" :::::applying back of hand to forehead:::: ...and then come out with this! Just do NOT plan a romantic evening after eating this pate. Your breath stinks for days, but it's worth it. And it's really good if made a day or two ahead.

Heh, just make sure both partake

[Susan in FL]

Great topic!! I love it, and a sandwich of liverwurst, onion, and Dijon on rye is one of my favorite things to eat. And, a must to drink with it is a good IPA.

[ghostrider]

Might be like some of the McDonald's in Maine, where they serve lobster rolls, but the corporate website does not offer that detail.

Yes they serve them, but they haven't yet learned how to make them.

I grew up on braunschweiger, always loved the stuff. But since the heart attack, it's off the menu. I'm more concerned about the sodium content than the fat BTW.

There are low sodium hams & cheeses around (tolerable, but a far cry from a good black forest ham & some Emmental or prosciutto & Taleggio, sigh), wonder if there's a low sodium braunschweiger. Probably too specialized an item.

[NulloModo]

Actually, when I Was picking up mine at the grocery today, I saw that they had Hatfield brand Low-Salt liverwurst ;).