Let Chef Mike know what you think of this downhome delicacy
It’s no secret that I love chicken livers. My love for these little packets of earthy, rich deliciousness goes back to my childhood, where fried chicken livers made regular appearances at the dinner table and leftovers were unheard of.
As I got older I would get my chicken liver fix at gas stations, KFCs, and Southern meat-and-three’s until I figured out how to cook them for myself, which led to fears of retinol overdose and a crash course in how statins work.
Now, as a theoretically mature adult, my love for chicken livers remains unchanged, but I’ve recently rediscovered the simple pleasure of velvety smooth and buttery rich chicken liver pâté. I’ve eaten lots of chicken liver pâté in the past, but always considered it a gourmet delicacy that could only be created by master chefs or French grandmothers from recipes punctuated with secret techniques and special ingredients best left to the highly skilled.
Then a few years ago I decided to try my hand at pâté. I quickly realized that it is shockingly simple to make and uses inexpensive ingredients; in fact, for much of the world, it occupies a place in family culinary traditions similar to meatloaf in the US.
Pâté is simply meat (usually liver or other off cuts) mixed with wine and spices, then cooked down into a spreadable texture. This spread is especially good schmeared on toasted bread with toppings like Dijon mustard, chutney, or diced cornichons (baby pickles). Far from just a French or Belgian dish, pâté can be found in Vietnamese bánh mì sandwiches (the good ones, anyway) and in Russia it’s frequently molded into fun animal shapes because, well…why not?
When choosing livers for your pâté, try and get paler chicken livers; they tend to have a mellower, richer flavor than the deep-red ones. Also, don’t try to make this healthier by substituting margarine or some other God-awful fat substitute to help appease your diet guilt. The fat is what makes pâté so decadent, and worth the extra dose of Lipitor.
Mousse
- 2 lbs chicken livers, trimmed of sinew and fat
- Kosher salt
- Fresh ground pepper
- 4 Tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 shallots, minced
- ½ tsp fresh thyme leaves, minced
- 2 ounces bourbon or whiskey
- 2 ounces apple cider
- 1 ½ sticks unsalted butter
Jelly
- 2 Tbsp water
- ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons port wine
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp unflavored gelatin granules
- 1/8 tsp ground allspice
Directions
Pat livers dry and season with salt and pepper.
Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet until it begins to smoke. Cook half of the livers until browned on all sides and pink in the middle—about 4 minutes. Move the cooked livers to the bowl of a food processor, add 1 tablespoon oil to the pan, heat until smoking and repeat the process with the remaining livers.
Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the skillet, add shallots and thyme and cook until softened. Add bourbon and cook, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the skillet until it’s almost evaporated.
Add the cider and cook until slightly reduced, then add the shallots and any remaining liquid into the food-processor with the livers.
Add butter and process until a smooth puree forms, stopping to scrape down the sides of the processor bowl.
Press the liver puree through a fine mesh strainer into a large mixing bowl. Season the puree with salt and pepper then scrape into a large terrine, tapping it gently against the counter to remove air pockets. Smooth the surface, press plastic wrap directly against the surface and chill in refrigerator until it’s set—at least 2 hours, but preferably overnight.
To make the jelly, put the water and 2 tablespoons of port in a small bowl and sprinkle the gelatin over it. Let sit 5 minutes.
In a small pan, warm ½ cup of the port with the sugar and allspice, then pour it over the softened gelatin. Stir this mixture until the gelatin is completely dissolved, then let cool until tepid.
Pour the mixture over the back of a spoon onto the chilled pâté to avoid creating an indention in the pâté.
Serve with a shallot marmalade or sprinkled with sea salt on crackers or toast.
The pâté will keep three to four days in the refrigerator or in the freezer for up to two months.
Mike McJunkin is a native Chattanoogan who has traveled abroad extensively, trained chefs, and owned and operated restaurants. Join him on Facebook at facebook.com/SushiAndBiscuits