Swoon-worthy Creamy Chicken Liver Pate

T

traca

Well-known member
This is heavenly! I tasted it years ago and found it hauntingly delicious. I finally got around to making it myself...and couldn't believe I made something so good.

Creamy Chicken Liver Pate

Serves 8

3/4 lb. Chicken livers

1 large Shallot, minced

2 sticks butter, softened (divided)

1/4 cup Port, sherry or Madeira (I used brandy & would again)

White pepper, kosher salt, Cinnamon and Nutmeg to taste

1/4 Cup heavy cream, whipped

Optional Prepare Livers:

Clean the chicken livers of any connective tissues and soak in milk for 6 hours. Remove and blot dry.

Sauté:

In a large sauté pan, melt 1 stick of butter over medium heat and cook the shallot until translucent about 3 minutes. Add the livers and cook 3 minutes.

Add liquid:

Add port. Cook for about 4 minutes, until livers are halfway cooked through and the liquid is mostly gone from underneath the butter. Transfer to a bowl and cool completely.

Puree:

Puree the mixture in a blender or food processor. While pureeing, drop pieces of the remaining softened butter into the machine. Puree until very very smooth.

Fold in the whipped cream and add the salt, pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg to taste.

Pour into a 6-cup terrine mold. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. Bring to room temperature; serve with crackers or toast points.

 
Two sticks of butter, brandy and heavy cream. Hmmmm.

And all for 3/4 pound of chicken livers? Wow. How could it be anything but good?

Michael

 
I understand where you're coming from Michael but that's 2 TBS of butter per

person (i.e. each stick of butter = 8 TBS) (recipe serves smileys/bigeyes.gif plus a bit of cream & brandy... This recipe is probably less fattening than using a TBS of butter for scrambled eggs and two or more for each of the two slices of buttered toast that I have once a week for scrambled or soft-boiled eggs that I had this morning.

Also, it's not something we eat every day so in my book, it's not as bad as it sounds.

It's all relative in my opinion.

 
Traca, how much cinnamon and nutmeg did you use? Kind of a pet peeve of mine...

...when a recipe says "to taste".

I can wing the s & p, but never having made this recipe (or one similar), I have no idea what "to taste" means with spices such as cinnamon and nutmeg.

Can you help?

Michael

 
Oh, I see, as long as it's a cousin (chicken liver) you are all for it! Fowl weather friend!

 
Michael, I'm with you. I hate measurements like that. I did not use the

nutmeg (just moved, didn't know what box it was in!), and the cinnamon I started with a pinch and proceeded from there. My guess is, I used somewhere around 1/8th of a teaspoon.

Basically what you're looking for is a "warming" spice. Next time I try it, I'm going to try 5-spice.

 
That's right. Chickens are very distant cousins that have not evolved. Why,

they still can't quack like us! Stupid birds...

 
Oh my goodness! Great minds think alike. I thought of 5-spice when I read the recipe!

Thanks for the clarification on the cinnamon. I appreciate it!

Michael

 
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