Sauteed chicken livers

[Lochina]

I'd like a recipe for an appetizer utilizing sauteed chicken livers--on a salad, on their own, whatever. Thanks!

[KatieLoeb]

Oh I dunno. Howzabout sauteeing some cubed bacon and diced sweet onion until the fat is rendered and the onions are slightly carmelized and then quickly sauteeing some halved and cleaned chicken livers with that until they're still a little pink in the middle. Deglaze with good Balsamic and toss well. Place warm on a bed of frisee and butter lettuce. Fresh ground pepper and sea salt to taste. Voila!

Works for me...

[britcook]

This always goes down well

Chicken Livers with Grapes

Serves 4

1 pound chicken livers

2 oz sultanas

3 oz seedless or de-seeded grapes

2 tbsp brandy

1 oz butter (preferably unsalted)

3 tbsp Madeira or Port

4 fl oz rich chicken stock

salt & pepper

Soak the sultanas in the brandy for an hour or two. Fully trim the chicken livers ensuring that none of the gungy bits or gristle remain. Cut the grapes in half. Quickly fry the livers in the butter (about 2 - 3 minutes) they should still be pink in the centre. Remove the livers from the pan and keep them warm. Turn up the heat to maximum and put the sultanas and brandy in the pan (if it bursts into flame it's OK). Add the stock and the Madeira and reduce until the sauce is quite "sticky" and rich. Adjust the seasoning if necessary. Briefly add the livers and grapes to the pan to warm through and serve.

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. 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. 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 (450°F) 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

· a small dressed salad (as well as or instead of the above).

You can use raisins instead of sultanas. All measures approximate

Recommended wine: A well-chilled Monbazillac or a Sauternes. This unlikely combination works superbly well (see above).

[slkinsey]

I like to do sauteed chicken livers glazed in balsamic vinegar. Just take some balsamic vinegar and boil it down until reduced by half to two-thirds. Trim up the livers. You can marinade them in a touch of brandy for a while if you like (I do). Then get a frypan screaming hot on the stove, toss in plenty of butter and the livers and stard shaking. Don't crowd the pan. It's better to use two pans than crowd one. Anyway, stand over the pan and poke the livers with a finger from time to time. After a minute or two, they will suddenly go from gloopy-soft to just-firm. Pay close attention, because this change can happen very quickly. This is the magic "just cooked through and pink in the middle" chicken liver stage. Act fast, because it doesn't last long! Chicken livers cooked beyond this point aren't "bad" per se, but they aren't as magically good either. Toss in enough of the reduced balsamic vinegar to coat the livers well and get it onto a plate pronto. Serve with slices of white peasant bread to soak up the sauce.

[lala]

What KatieLoeb said, only using sherry vinegar, or sherry itself for a different flavor.

[PCL]

Soak livers in milk, devein'ed...

chop.

chop shallots.

butter in pan with EVOO

sweat shallots

in goes the liver

stir

dry white wine

plonk on grilled bread, rubbed with garlic.

a very crude pate en croute

[iriee]

you have to try slow cooking in heavy cream until just cooked. its unreal! try sauteing shallots and garlic,,little thyme, cream,salt and pepper. its like cheap foie!

[Alex]

The Heartland Chicken Liver Society

[Carolyn Tillie]

Oh.... hearken back to the 70s and make Rumaki! Cheesy, I know, but my sister brought them to a potluck I gave and I was astonished at how quickly they disappeared!

A page with 38 different recipes for Rumaki.

[phaelon56]

Just Gogle a recipe for Chicken Liver Mousse or go straight to Epicurious.

I like to make mine with just a bit less of the whipped crema folded in than most of the recipes call for but it's great stuff in any consistency. Good to make in advance as it's even better after the flavors meld for 24 hours. I serve with small toasted rounds of crusty bread and small pieces of crusty pumpernickel (if I can find a good one. have thin sliced red onions and cornichons available to add on as well.

My favorite "make it on the fly and wing it with proportions" recipe is based on chicken livers but wouldn't lend itself to serving as an appetizer.

[ludja]

Not an appetizer, but I made a great sauteed chicken liver dish for dinner.

Caramelize lots of onions slowly in butter/olive oil mixture in an oven proof pan. Add some salt and pepper, minced garlic, minced serrano chile and chopped coutnry ham or Speck to cook for the last few minutes. Remove onions from pan and warm up some more butter and olive oil in the pan over medium heat. Take livers which have been cleaned, deveined, soaked in milk and dried and fully dredge them in flour seasoned with salt, pepper, cayenne pepper and Spanish smoked paprika. Cook livers over medium high heat for ~ 2 min per side. Then, finish cooking livers in 350 deg oven for 3 min. Remove livers from pan and deglaze it with a little water. Add a small pat of butter and incorporate it into the sauce. Add onions back into the pan and warm back up.

Serve immediately with steamed rice, a green salad and sliced tomatoes.

Wonderful!