Bourbon Chicken Liver Pâté Food

BOURBON CHICKEN LIVER PâTé

Steps:

• Melt 1 stick butter in a large nonstick skillet over moderately low heat, then cook onion and garlic, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add herbs, salt, pepper, allspice, and livers and cook, stirring, until livers are cooked outside but still pink when cut open, about 8 minutes. Stir in bourbon and remove from heat. Purée mixture in a food processor until smooth, then transfer pâté to crock and smooth top.
• Melt remaining 1/2 stick butter in a very small heavy saucepan over low heat, then remove pan from heat and let butter stand 3 minutes. If using herb garnish, put sprig on top of pâté. Skim froth from butter, then spoon enough clarified butter over pâté to cover its surface, leaving milky solids in bottom of pan.
• Chill pâté until butter is firm, about 30 minutes, then cover with plastic wrap and chill at least 2 hours more.

BOURBON CHICKEN LIVER PâTé

Steps:

• Melt 1 stick butter in a large nonstick skillet over moderately low heat, then cook the onion and garlic, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the herbs, salt, pepper, allspice, and livers and cook, stirring, until livers are cooked on the outside but still pink when cut open, about 8 minutes.
• Stir in the bourbon and remove from the heat. Purée the mixture in a food processor until smooth, then transfer the pâté to a 2 1/2-cup crock and smooth the top.
• Melt the remaining 4 tablespoons butter in a very small heavy saucepan over low heat, then remove the pan from the heat and let the butter stand 3 minutes. If using an herb garnish, put a sprig on top of the pâté. Skim the froth from the butter, then spoon enough clarified butter over the pâté to cover its surface, leaving the milky solids in bottom of pan.
• Chill the pâté until the butter is firm, about 30 minutes, then cover with plastic wrap and chill at least 2 hours more.
• DO AHEAD
• The PÂTÉ can be chilled up to 2 weeks. Once butter seal has been broken, pâté keeps for up to 1 week chilled, its surface covered with plastic wrap.

CHICKEN LIVER PATE WITH APPLES AND BRANDY

Steps:

• FOR THE CHICKEN LIVERS: Remove any connective membranes. Salt and pepper to taste.
• Saute chicken livers, apples, shallots and onions in butter over high heat until livers lose their pinkness. Heat cognac in a brandy warmer, ignite and carefully pour over the chicken livers. When flames die down, put this mixture into a blender container. Add sour cream and cream and blend at high speed until the livers are pureed and very smooth. Allow mixture to come to room temperature.
• In your electric mixer, beat 3/4 cup butter until it is creamy. Beat in the cooled pate until it is thoroughly blended. Place mixture in a large crock or several small ramekins and refrigerate until firm.
• When cold, baste with some melted butter. Serve with crackers, wafer thin black bread or thinly sliced cocktail rye bread.
• Love of Eating.

CHICKEN LIVER PâTé

Steps:

• Heat 1 tbsp of the butter in a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. When the butter is foaming, add the chicken livers and fry for 2 mins each side.
• Stir the crushed garlic, some of the thyme and Madeira into the pan with the livers. Fry for 2 mins, letting the Madeira simmer. Transfer the mixture to a food processor, reserve 200g of the butter and add the rest to the processor. Blend everything to a smooth paste. Season to taste, then spoon into 4 x 70ml clip-top jars.
• Melt the reserved butter in a medium frying pan and add the sliced garlic. Turn the garlic in the butter until slightly golden. Pour into the 4 jars of pâté, ensuring a few slices of garlic and the remaining thyme leaves go in each jar, and chill in the fridge for at least 4 hrs, or until set. Can be made up to 2 days in advance.
• Before serving, toast the brioche, then cut into triangular quarters for serving. Stir the diced apple through the chutney. Serve the pâté on small wooden boards with the toasted brioche, cornichons and chutney.

COLLEEN'S CHICKEN LIVER PATE

Steps:

• Combine chicken livers and milk in a bowl. Let soak in the refrigerator, about 2 hours.
• Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add onion; cook and stir until soft, about 5 minutes. Add 1 1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns, garlic, red pepper flakes, and thyme; cook and stir until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Remove chicken livers from the milk with a slotted spoon; add to the saucepan with balsamic vinegar and bay leaves. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until chicken livers are tender and no longer pink, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from heat and cool slightly, 5 to 10 minutes.
• Transfer chicken liver mixture to a food processor. Add remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons black peppercorns and Scotch; blend until smooth. Add remaining 6 tablespoons of butter and pulse until fully incorporated into the mixture.
• Divide blended mixture evenly among 6 porcelain ramekins. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 6 hours.

CREAMY CHICKEN LIVER PâTé

Steps:

• In a spice grinder or clean coffee grinder, combine peppercorns, allspice, clove and coriander seeds; grind until fine and set aside.
• Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a skillet over medium-high heat; when foam subsides, add onion and cook until softened, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add livers to pan and sprinkle with salt; cook livers on one side until they begin to brown, about 2 minutes, then flip them and cook the other side. Be sure to keep heat relatively high so that the outside of livers sears and inside stays pink.
• Put onion, livers and their buttery juices into a food processor or blender with remaining butter, the cream, spices and brandy. Purée mixture until it is smooth; taste and adjust seasoning.
• Put pâté in a terrine or bowl, smooth top and put in refrigerator for 2 to 3 hours or until fully set. Serve pâté with bread or crackers.

CHICKEN LIVER PATE WITH VARIATIONS

Steps:

• Clean the chicken livers carefully, cutting away any green or brown spots, then wash them quickly under cold running water and pat them dry with paper towels. Now cut them in half.
• In a large heavy frying pan, melt the first 3 T butter. Add the onions and cook over moderate heat for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions and soft and lightly colored.
• Mix in the chopped apple and cook 3 or 4 minutes longer. When soft enough to mash with a spoon, transfer to the bowl of a food processor.
• In the same pan, melt the second 3 T butter, this time over rather high heat. As the butter foam subsides, add the livers. Over high heat, turn them in the sputtering butter with a wooden spoon for about 3 or 4 minutes. When the livers are quite brown on the outside and still pink within.
• Now add the livers and all their juices to the onion-apple mixture. Moisten with 2 T cream and process. Add more cream if necessary. Process until very smooth.
• Cream the remaining 10 T of butter. When creamed, beat the cool liver paste, little by little into the butter. Stir in the teaspoon of lemon juice and the salt and pepper. Don't be sparing with the salt, since chilling deadens flavor, the pate will be surprisingly less salty than you thought.
• Pack the pate into small terrines or any attravtive quart-size container. Smooth the top witha spatula and pour over it enough clarified butter to cover it completely. This will not only prevent the pate from changing color as it chills, but will make an almost airtight covering that lessens the possibility of spoilage. (If you do not use the clarified butter, cover the crocks with plastic wrap.) Refrigerate at least 3 hours.
• May be frozen.