Chicken Liver Pâté

Chicken Liver Pâté

Chicken liver pâté is one of my favorite things to have during the holidays (or anytime really). It’s a simple dish that’s rich and flavorful, and there are a thousand different ways to make it. This rendition is light in texture, and almost like a mousse.

Ingredients

Directions

Start by sautéing your onions, garlic, and chicken liver in olive oil, along with sprigs of rosemary and thyme. The rosemary and thyme can also be thrown in whole and removed once everything is cooked.

When the chicken liver is essentially cooked through, add chopped mushrooms and cook briefly (2-3 minutes), before deglazing with white wine. If you’d like a lighter, airier pâté it’s important to not overcook the mushrooms. Maintaining some of the fibrous structure of the mushrooms will help aerate and lighten the finished dish.

Once the wine has reduced, remove the pan from the heat, remove any sprigs of rosemary and thyme, then add a half tablespoon or so of lemon juice.

Add the mixture to a food processor (there’s no need to cool this), and blend it until it’s very smooth. If your mixture is too dense or dry, you can drizzle white wine and/or olive oil (not too much oil) in, to shape the consistency.

When everything is blended together, pour it into any mold that you like, and chill it in the refrigerator for several hours.

When the pâté has completely cooled and set, unmold it onto a plate. This particular version is also much looser than denser pâtés, so it will need to be reshaped a bit with a small spatula or knife before serving.

Garnish with chives and capers and enjoy.