Chicken Liver Pate

[Dani Mc]

I have to make a pate for a christmas eve party. I'm tired of my standard recipe, so does anyone have a fabulous new one for me to try?

[Gifted Gourmet]

I have to make a pate for a christmas eve party.  I'm tired of my standard recipe, so does anyone have a fabulous new one for me to try?

One of my close friends has made this with excellent results:

Terrine de foies de volaille, a very fancy version of chicken liver pate ... shouldn't you be shopping for ingredients shortly?

[Rachel Perlow]

Could you tell us more about your standard recipe, so we know where to go from there? Also, are you looking for a pate, like a mock pate, with cream & stuff, or something more akin to Jewish chopped liver?

[Dani Mc]

I alternate between a pate recipe and one thats actually more of a terrine. The pate includes:

onion

garlic

anchovy

marsala

cream

paprika

The terrine is:

cognac

nutmeg

garlic

tarragon

cream

peppercorns

I guess I'm looking for something that is a bit more unusual, as both seem to be pretty much your standard variety. I'm not looking for a course or country style pate, so I guess its not really the same as chopped liver. Maybe something with a bit of fruit to cut the richness?

Gifted Gourmet-HELLS YES I GOTTA SHOP! I've been going out of my mind with christmas! I'm already making a ginger cake for this party, and was only asked to do the pate yesterday. Normally I would tell someone who made such a late request exactly where they could stick it, but its for two of my closest friends, and I can't bear to say no without even trying.

[jackal10]

My version, adapted from Michel Guerard "Cuisine Gourmand".

Its a boosy garlicky coarse country pate

500g/18oz chicken livers. Frozen is fine. Can replace 6 oz with chicken hearts

400g fatty sausage meat or ground pork (raw)

bayleaves, sprigs of thyme

7 Tbs brandy or armagnac

6 Tbs Port or Madeira

2 Tspn peled and chopped garlic

Bunch parsley, chopped

1 Tsp thyme

pinch nutmeg

1 Tsp sugar

2 Tsp salt

12 turns of the pepper mill

Marinate everything together overnight in the fridge. Whizz to a coarse texture.

Put bayleaves and thyme sprigs decoratively in the bottom of a loaf tin. Line with bacon, if liked. Fill with the mixture

Bake in a bain marie in a hottish oven 220C/425f for 2 hours. The top will be be pleasantly browned, Weight until cold.

Turn out and serve qith good bread, pickled cornichons, and onion confit

[Alex]

Check out The Heartland Chicken Liver Society thread.

[Gifted Gourmet]

Gifted Gourmet-HELLS YES I GOTTA SHOP!  I've been going out of my mind with christmas! 

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So, to ease your anxiety and restore your peace of mind, simply select one of these recipes and smile as you present it .. after all, only you know what you had in mind, no one else need know the 'details" ...

Enjoy the party and the pleasures of their friendship!

[Rachel Perlow]

To me, chopped liver is not a course or country pate. It is more of a spread. It is rich, but only eaten occasionally. I don't get adding fruit to cut the richness, or adding booze or cream. It just covers up the taste. Now a traditional, kosher, chopped chicken liver recipe will have you broil the liver. I don't like this because the liver gets too firm, and becomes more livery. I prefer to saute the livers. This keeps everything moister and the final result softer, more spreadable. And it can be as course or smooth as you allow it to become in the food processor (as opposed to the meat grinder my mother and grandmother used). Here's how I make chopped liver:

2 onions, medium in size, coarsely or finely chopped. One can be a sweet onion

1 lb chicken livers (collected in the freezer 1 chicken at a time, and/or buy a container at the market), drain, rinse, clean of anything stringy or fibrous

schmaltz (that you rendered yourself)

4 eggs, hard cooked or not

salt and pepper

If using a sweet onion, cut up and put in the food processor, pulse to chop. If you are using hard cooked eggs, pulse/chop them too. Heat a large skillet, add a spoonful of schmaltz (butter if you don't have schmaltz and aren't kosher. Heck, if you were kosher you'd be broiling the liver, so that's a moot point), then saute the non-sweet chopped onion until golden. Add the cleaned livers and saute. If you didn't hard cook your eggs ahead of time, cook the livers until the outsides are cooked, but the insides are still pink. Reduce heat, break the eggs into the skillet and poach with the livers, covered, for about 10 minutes.

Yes, there's lots of liquid in the skillet, but everything should be cooked through. Now, if you want a very smooth pate, leave the onions (and chopped eggs?) in the FP, and using a slotted spoon, add the livers (and eggs?) and onion. Chop until smooth or pulse. If you like it a little chunky, remove the chopped raw onion & egg to a mixing bowl so they don't get over chopped and pulse the liver until it is a consistancy you like.

You can add all of the liquid in the pan, or reserve some and add as necessary. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Start with about 1 tsp salt.

Now, if you want to completely faux pate this, grind until smooth in the FP, then start beating in butter. It could probably take up to a pound, but I think that would be overkill. I've never done this for serving to my family, but I've seen something similar done in a country club. You might want to pass the pate through a food mill or seive and allow it to cool before beating in the butter. I would only do the butter enriched pate if I were going to serve it as canapes (piped onto small toasts) or in small little crocks.

In my family, we just put out a bowl of chopped liver (no butter) with crackers and crudite before the meal, or serve it as an appetizer at the table with tomatoes and onions, matzo or challah.

[Gifted Gourmet]

I'm not looking for a course or country style pate, so I guess its not really the same as chopped liver. Maybe something with a bit of fruit to cut the richness?

is what she is after apparently so I doubt that Jewish chopped liver will suffice ...

[Rachel Perlow]

Yeah, but I figured it was about time I added my chopped liver recipe to eGullet.

[Dani Mc]

I ended up finding a crostini recipe in the 'Second Helpings' book from Union Square Cafe. Wasn't technically a pate, but it was damn good. Recipe included:

Sage

Juniper Berries

Panchetta

Sav Blanc

Onion

Anchovies

Capers

Went over very well. Thanks for all the suggestions!

[stovetop]

a version of french canadian chicken liver pate

sautee in butter and oilive oil

Chicken livers (rinse well)

fine diced shallots or onions ( lightly golden)

chopped parsley

fine diced carrot, cellery (small amount) ( optional)

good french congac

Garlic fine diced

fresh thyme

bay leaves

pepper corns

cool

Discard bay leaf

In a food processor, puree the liver mixture; season to taste.

fill the pate into individual ramekins, cover with plastic, refrigerate until firm, at least 4-6 hours.

more recipes

http://www.recipesource.com

[Mottmott]

My DIL loves chopped chicken livers, so I usually add them to family dinners, but don't have a recipe as such.

I saute the seasoned livers in chicken fat til they're still just barely pink in the center, but caramelizing on the outside. I transfer them to processor and deglaze the pan with a splash of madiera (port or even marsala would be ok). Add that to the processor and whiz it all together with 2-3 (heaping) Tbs caramelized onions and 1-2 hard cooked eggs per pound of livers. Mostly, it's a case of taste and adjust, then taste, then taste, firm up my resolution and plate it decoratively to preclude more tasting.

[Anna N]

Would chicken liver pate freeze well? Anyone know? or try? Thanks

[jackal10]

Would chicken liver pate freeze well?  Anyone know?  or try?  Thanks

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Yes and yes.

[Anna N]

Would chicken liver pate freeze well?  Anyone know?  or try?  Thanks

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Yes and yes.

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Thank you! Now if only I could find some chicken livers! Went to three stores yesterday and came up empty-handed.

[Rachel Perlow]

If the butcher dept of your stores don't have it, check the frozen kosher section, there will probably be 1 lb boxes of frozen chicken livers.

[Anna N]

If the butcher dept of your stores don't have it, check the frozen kosher section, there will probably be 1 lb boxes of frozen chicken livers.

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I must live in a very sheltered gentile world as I have never seen a frozen kosher section in any supermarket. Only very recently have I seen "halal" chicken in the meat department. So much for our multi-cultural society! Can't get many Mexican ingredients either!

[Rachel Perlow]

You could always substitute veal liver.

[stovetop]

Anna is there a Chinese grocery in Oakville, they might have chicken livers there???

steve

Is there a butcher shop there or even Itilian shop???

[phaelon56]

I don't get adding fruit to cut the richness, or adding booze or cream. It just covers up the taste.

I can't speak for chopped chicken livers but chicken liver mousse gains significantly both from a small amount of brandy (or better yet cognac) for flavor and also gains a velvety texture by being folded into unsweetened whipped cream.

The base mixture freezes nicely and can then be mixed with the whipped cream after thawing.

Find chicken livers in any grocery stores or butcher that has a significant African-American clientele - they're almost certain to be in stock.

[lovebenton0]

Yeah, but I figured it was about time I added my chopped liver recipe to eGullet.

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Thanks, Rachel.

Chicken livers? Right there with the chicken, fresh in little one lb tubs. Cheap! Must be a Southern thing to have them always available.

[budrichard]

"schmaltz (that you rendered yourself)" -This lady knows how to cook! -Dick

[Sandra Levine]

I used to make a very simple but elegant chicken liver terrine using the following method:

Saute some chopped onion in butter until the onion is very lightly golden. Add chicken livers and saute for a minute or two. Cook through until the rawness is gone but do not allow the livers to become grainy. Puree everything in a blender or food processor with a little cognac. Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Whirl once more in the blender or food processor to incorporate seasonings. Stir in some currants. Turn out into a nice serving dish. If you intend to unmold the pate, line the dish with plastic wrap first. Chill until firm.

Edited December 29, 2004 by Sandra Levine (log)

[stovetop]

Sandra where is the origin of this recipe, is it like Moroccan or somewhere in that part of the world

with a little cognac. Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Whirl once more in the blender or food processor to incorporate seasonings. Stir in some currants.

steve