Homemade Chicken Liver Pâté ©

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There is nothing like sitting out in the garden at the weekend, soaking up the last rays of warm sun, watching the leaves gently float down off the trees and dipping into a delicious “Homemade Pâté!”

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People ask me where to begin with cooking? Just pick a simple recipe you would really like to eat and get cracking.

Choose  your recipe first, check you have the necessary utensils and ingredients and always shop the day before! Cook for your self or a good friend the first time you are trying a recipe, when cooking for numbers or in unfamiliar kitchens, it is always best to stick to recipes you know well. This may sound obvious, but you would be surprised.

 

For my children who love this!

 

 

 

Easy

 

 

 

 

 

Serves 6 people

 

 

 

 

 

Special Equipment : A Pâté Terrine

 

 

 

 

Ingredients

225 g fresh chicken livers ( Order from Butcher in advance )

1 small onion

75 g butter

1-2 tbs brandy or sherry

1 clove garlic

salt and freshly ground pepper

A few grates of Nutmeg

A sprig of fresh or dried thyme

4 fresh bay leaves for decoration ( 1 for cooking 3 for decoration )

25 g extra butter for topping

 

 

Method : Preferably prepare the day before.

 

1. Pre-order your chicken livers from your butcher and keep in fridge.

2. When you are ready to start cooking, wash the livers well and cut away any green bile stain and sinew. Chop finely with a sharp knife.

3. Peel and very finely chop onion and garlic, or press garlic through garlic press. Wash bay leaf and thyme. If you don’t have fresh use dried.

4. Melt butter in frying pan over a low to medium heat. Add onions, garlic and herbs. Sauté until onion is transparent and soft, about five minutes. (Don’t let garlic burn, turn down if necessary.)

5. Add chicken livers and lightly sauté for two minutes until just cooked. Add brandy and sauté for another two minutes for the alcohol to evaporate completely. Five minutes in all is plenty, you don’t want to over cook your livers. If they are a little pink it does not matter. This is how the French eat them.

6. Place liver mixture into a blender and blend, after which take the trouble to pass through a very fine sieve. This makes it beautifully smooth and is an essential procedure.

7. Spoon out into your Terrine dish, or other suitable bowl. While still hot melt 25 g of butter in a saucepan and pour over the top to seal the Pâté . Place in refrigerator for two hours to thoroughly chill.

Serve with Melba toast ( Triangular cut thinly sliced toast) or small biscuits of your choice.

 

Cook’s Tip : When using alcohol in cooking you want to cook it for at least two minutes for the alcohol to evaporate and it should no longer smell of alcohol.

Sinew : Is any tough fibrous tissue found  in centre of livers.

 

 

 

I serve mine with a little extra butter! The perfect canapé !

 

Order your fresh livers from the butcher in advance and prepare the day before. Wash thoroughly, cut away any green bile stain and sinew.

 

Peel and wash onion and garlic.

 

Cut onion in half and slice long ways as shown below.

 

Now cut across so that your onion is cut into small squares.

 

Crush or finely chop garlic.

 

Press completely through garlic press.

 

Add finely grated nutmeg.

 

Gently sauté onion and garlic over a low to medium heat together with sprig of thyme and bay leaf.

 

Add chopped livers and sauté for two minutes.

 

Now add brandy and sauté until livers are just cooked and alcohol has evaporated. Five minutes cooking in all over medium heat. You don’t want to over cook livers, even if they are a little pink it doesn’t matter.

 

Place Pâté mixture in blender. Blend until smooth.

 

Now pass through sieve pushing down with a wooden spoon. This is a must as it makes the Pâté really smooth, even if a little time consuming!

 

Place in Terrine, smooth out on top. Decorate with fresh bay leaves or dried if you cannot find fresh.

 

Melt butter in small saucepan and pour over to seal Pâté.

 

Place in refrigerator to chill thoroughly.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Final result!

Serve with hot toast or Melba toast or on buttered biscuits. For a special occasion like Christmas you could use a piping bag to make rosettes on small rounds of toasted brown or white bread.