Makes 3 ramekins Soaking time: 1 hour Prep & Cooking Time: 10 minutes
I have made a couple of changes to my old recipe.
The two major ones are: a) soak the liver in milk, salt and water for about 1 hour to draw out most of the blood, which could make the livers bitter and
b) cover the ramekin dishes with melted butter/lard or a mix of.
I used Sherry & Brandy, and because I evaporated too much of the liquid I added another gass of sherry, and it was very nice.
- 300ml milk plus 1 heaped tbsp salt
- 50g Goose Fat (or butter)
- 400-450g Chicken Livers (trimmed)
- 1 large Spring Onion (approx. 2cm) finely chopped
- 1 large clove Garlic (finely chopped)
- 1 small tsp Salt and Black Pepper (to your taste)
- 1 tsp fresh Thyme leaves only or
a couple of 2-3cm lengths of sprays - 75-100ml Red Wine (or Sherry or Chicken Stock)
- 1-2 tbsp Brandy
- 50-100g butter, melted (for the finishing touches)
- 1-2 Bay Leaves (for decoration)
- Some fresh Cranberries (for decoration)
- Remove the sinew from the chicken livers and halve the larger pieces. Place in a bowl with the salted milk and a little water, enough liquid to cover the chicken liver totally to soak for 1 hour.
- Place the thyme leaves or stalk pieces into a mortar. Add the salt and grind – the salt will help removing the thyme leaves from the stalks. Don’t overdo it. Then remove all the stalks and add the pepper.
- After 1 hour drain the liver from the milk. Rinse and dry the liver.
- I prefer to use a wok as the heat surface is smaller but the cooking is easier to deal with. Melt the fat in the wok (or a frying pan) over a medium heat; add the onion and the garlic; fry until softened, but not coloured.
- Add the herbs and fry for ½ minute
- Add the chicken livers and fry for 1-2 minutes to seal, constantly turning the livers so that they do not get brown.
- Now stir in all the liquid and let the live cook vigorously for 3-4 minutes or until most of the liquid has evaporated/boiled away.
- Place everything in the food processor or use a stick-blender and blend until smooth.
- Transfer the pâté into 3-4 serving ramekin or small dish flatten the top surface with a teaspoon. Spread the melted butter between the ramekin dishes. (This is to prevent the pâté from oxidising and discolouring).
- Set aside until cooled to room temperature then cover with cling film and place in fridge.
Decorate with a couple of cranberries and a bay leaf when serving.
The pâté can be frozen and will keep for up to 3 months.