Liverwurst

[Susan in FL]

I've been curious to try eggs with liverwurst and we did for brunch today. Often we have soft boiled eggs on toast, and so today we had soft boiled eggs on toast which was spread with liverwurst (rye, this time). Good, but quite an unusual combination of flavors... especially with a Bloody Mary thrown in to the mix. I liked it, but liverwurst and eggs is not something I would want to eat on a regular basis.

[NulloModo]

The liverwurst with eggs on something crispy is a great texture/flavor combo, I have really started to love it.

When the runny yolks bust open on the liverwurst and combine with that subtle crunch in my mouth it is just pure heaven for me.

I recently picked up a bottle of low-carb honey (well honey flavored malitol syrup to be precise) I plan on combining it with liverwurst sometime soon to see if the salty/sweet combo comes off well.

[Carrot Top]

NulloModo, that just sounds too ravishingly delicious.

I can not believe we are discussing....liverwurst?

Betcha crisp fried (not battered) onions would be great with liverwurst and eggs, but do not know if they are allowed on a low-carb diet....

[Susan in FL]

When the runny yolks bust open on the liverwurst...

Yesss... That's the part that did it for me.

Betcha crisp fried (not battered) onions would be great with liverwurst and eggs...

That sounds wonderful, too! Whoever tries it first, report back.

I almost added some raw onion to the mix this morning. I like the crispiness, and the flavor, of raw onion.

Ahhh... So many liverwurst ideas, so little time.

[NulloModo]

Yes, onions are fine.... hmmm, like those they supposedly sell at Asian grocery stores?

I am wondering what type of dish one would make though. With poached eggs, liverwurst, and the crispy onions...

[SobaAddict70]

Rachel --

I have a feeling that if you have the right type of liverwurst, you'll be a convert. I used to like Oscar Meyer's brand until I discovered deli liverwurst which tends to be slightly spicier than OM. Haven't had liverwurst in years and now I have a craving for it.

It's a little like pate but with a creamy texture and not as chunky. I would get a deli version and not OM because the pink coloring can be offputting to someone who hasn't had a liverwurst experience before.

Soba

[Carrot Top]

Yes, onions are fine.... hmmm, like those they supposedly sell at Asian grocery stores? 

I am wondering what type of dish one would make though.  With poached eggs, liverwurst, and the crispy onions...

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If it were me, to keep it quick and simple, I would put the whole thing on top of a nice piece of pumpernickle toast.

But low-carb...yikes. I have heard that the low-carb bread they sell is not too great.

Another idea would be to put the whole thing on potatoes...say made into something like roesti potatoes....nice and crispy and browned themselves on the outside....or another idea...maybe baked into a hollowed-out tomato and served warm?

Classic...low-carb...make the base be a thinly sliced seared medium rare steak...

Mmm. Or...use frisee or chicory, tossed in a light lemon-y dressing to place underneath it all, and top the whole thing with...what do you call them...grattons? crispy little rendered bits of chicken skins....

The honey idea is a good one. Others might be a horseradish cream sauce or dressing....or with a sweet and slightly sour sauce made from lingonberries, or red currant jelly in a pinch...

Edited September 12, 2004 by Carrot Top (log)

[cjs]

My mom made the best......very coarse on heavy rye with leftover braised red cabbage on top, or when we where small pickles on top.

[NulloModo]

Carrot Top:

Those ideas sound wonderful. My biggest cooking sin is making things over complicated flovor-wise though. I like the steak idea, and I know steaks with Foie Gras are popular in some places... this might be similar.

I'm thinking perhaps a nice juicy steak, topped with some liverwurst and those crunchy onions, and perhaps drizzled with a little LC Honey (which is surprisingly almost identical to real honey). I wonder if the egg would be too much for this preparation though. Your idea with Frise is great, a sort of variation on that traditional lardons salad...

[Jaymes]

Classic...low-carb...make the base be a thinly sliced seared medium rare steak...

Ah yes. Heading toward the classic Beef Wellington.

[Carrot Top]

Hmmm...yes...and puff pastry would be nice with liverwurst too!!

But what sort of mushrooms would do?

Not enough flavor in the usual 'button' mushrooms...shiitake too dense perhaps....porcini/cremini have a slight tang that might not work...enoki would have to be it...what do you think?

[fifi]

Ever since this thread started, I have to have liverwurst. I had not eaten it in years.

Most of the sandwiches mentioned are the typical vehicle. But the really odd one was the liverwurst taco. I had some pickled red onion (thinly sliced in lime juice and s&p) and Mexican Crema. Wrapped in a hot flour tortilla it was pretty tasty.

I don't have any good delis near me so I have to rely on what is available in the grocery deli. I have determined that the Boar's Head is the best option.

Evil thread. Pure evil.

[MarketStEl]

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

So true. One might say that about their burgers, too, though...

(Sorry to slide off-thread, this was too good a chance to resist! )

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[MarketStEl]

In taste, texture and appearance, liverwurst/Braunsweiger is far more like a pate than a slab of liver -- to which I see no resemblance.  I've never seen it potted or canned although suspect it is available that way.  You can always find it in packages and logs in the refrigerator case anywhere you buy other sandwich meats and cold cuts.  And yes, you can usually order it at the deli counter.

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I've never seen liverwurst in any form other than in a casing--either natural (pig stomach or somesuch) or, more commonly, artificial (the thick plastic wrap that usually has the manufacturer's name printed on it).

[intraining]

liverwurst is almost exactly the same as liver pate i had as a kid. always bought it sliced in between two slices of hot crusty buttered slices country bread with cucumber, beets, spring onion salt and pepper, you know, a doorstop. also good on toast or crackers of some sort.

do you prefer the slices or the spreadable (the small tube)??

my wife's taking our daughter to german day saturday (ny). pretty sure she said it's german day, or there's definately something german going on. maybe a little street fair. i'll find out.

[MarketStEl]

I see that the original poster asked participants to recommend their favorite brand(s) of liverwurst. I also see that relatively few people have responded to her query, although those who have responded have all recommended excellent brands. Special commendation, however, is due the person who warned her away from Oscar Mayer. (But while I'm on that brand, let me go on record as saying that of all the brands of hot dogs available in my local supermarket, I am partial to Oscar Mayer there. This will no doubt cause Holly Moore to start a thread over in the Pennsylvania forum denouncing me for my apostasy from Dietz and Watson.)

Anyway: I see so far that no one has mentioned Kahn's liverwurst. This brand (which I believe is now owned by Oscar Mayer, which in turn is a unit of Kraft Foods) comes from Cincinnati, where they ought to know a thing or two about liverwurst. Because it's now owned by a big national company, you should be able to find it almost anywhere in the country, which cannot be said of Dietz & Watson or Hatfield, two Philly-area favorites already mentioned in this thread. Both D&W and Hatfield are good, btw, but I like the oniony flavor and creamier texture of Kahn's even better--it spreads very easily. There's also a pretty good "Bavarian Party Dip" recipe on the back of the Kahn's label (vac-packed one pound package).

How do I like liverwurst? It's my favorite lunch meat; I've loved it since I was about eight years old (my first experience with the stuff was also Oscar Mayer braunschweiger). I like it on toast (whole wheat or rye) with Muenster, Swiss or sharp Cheddar and spicy brown or Dijon mustard (onions optional). The liverwurst must achieve room temperature for the best eating experience.

[Ocean_islands]

You know what's really good? See below:

Wonder bread with the crusts cut off, spread with Miracle Whip and then a layer of liverwurst with more Miracle Whip and bread to top off a little sandwich. That's really good but bad!

[NulloModo]

Yesterday I finally stopped by the Asian grocery and picked up some of those fried onions, so I just had to stop by the regular grocery for a tube of Kahn's liverwurst as well.

Lo and behold I also found two packs of chevre for a total of $1 in the cheese ends section, was this fate or what?

Breakfast today was two thick slices of the wurst, crusted with the onions and pan fried, then topped with a bit of Chevre and a fried egg each.

Wow, so tasty, so crunchy, so flavorful, I have a new breakfast kick.

[Jinmyo]

Pleaae try your local German or Mittle European delis and ask for liverwurst made in-store.

[NulloModo]

I would love to, alas, no local German deli around here. I suppose next trip into Philadelphia I might be able to find one though...

[ronnie_suburban]

For store-bought, I really love Nueske's apple wood-smoked liver sausage.

Back in July, while I was visiting some friends in Three Oaks, MI, we stumbled into an old-skool butchery called Drier's. There was a sign in the window which really caught my eye...

Their liver sausage was absolutely delicious. It was packed into a natural, non-edible (?) casing and was grainier and looser than what I normally expect from a liver sausauge. After we snarfed it down, I wished we'd bought more of it. And right now, I wish I'd taken a picture of it, but we just polished it off too damned fast.

=R=

[NulloModo]

I had to repeat that breakfast again today.

This time I fried the liverwurst a good bit longer until it got a very nice black cripsy crust on the bottom (no onions on bottom this time, just on top). The texture was definately better, and it had an almost-scrapply flavor.

The look of the dish is sort of similar to eggs benedict, sans the bagel, but I think I might have to name this one 'eggs dragonbreath' as liverwurst, fried onion, and goat cheese certainly set one up for a fairly anti-social day unless lots of mouthwashing takes place.

[ronnie_suburban]

I had to repeat that breakfast again today. 

This time I fried the liverwurst a good bit longer until it got a very nice black cripsy crust on the bottom (no onions on bottom this time, just on top).  The texture was definately better, and it had an almost-scrapply flavor. 

The look of the dish is sort of similar to eggs benedict, sans the bagel, but I think I might have to name this one 'eggs dragonbreath' as liverwurst, fried onion, and goat cheese certainly set one up for a fairly anti-social day unless lots of mouthwashing takes place.

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Sounds like a perfect 'pre-NFL All Day' Sunday breakfast

I picked up a chub of the Nueske stuff the other day. I may have to give this a whirl...

=R=

[Susan in FL]

The look of the dish is sort of similar to eggs benedict, sans the bagel, but I think I might have to name this one 'eggs dragonbreath' as liverwurst, fried onion, and goat cheese certainly set one up for a fairly anti-social day unless lots of mouthwashing takes place.

Or unless whomever you spend the day with eats it with you!

It does sound good.

Sounds like a perfect 'pre-NFL All Day' Sunday breakfast

[MarketStEl]

I don't have any good delis near me so I have to rely on what is available in the grocery deli. I have determined that the Boar's Head is the best option.

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You can get Boar's Head in Texas???