Chicken Liver Pate
 

"Pennyaline" > wrote in message
...
> On 11/17/2011 10:47 AM, Sqwertz wrote:
>> Chicken Liver Pate. A Sqwertz original. Cheap and Easy ($2 or less).
>>
>> Look for livers that are pale brown rather than rosy pink/red. Brine
>> 1 pound livers in 12oz apple juice, 1 TB kosher salt, and 1 TB
>> Worcestershire sauce for 3-4 hours. This help makes them creamy
>> smooth.
>>
>> Drain and simmer livers with 1 small onion chopped roughly, a large
>> clove of smashed garlic, and 1 tsp thyme until livers just barely lose
>> their pink inside and are firm (about 5 minutes).
>>
>> Drain liquid and transfer all solids to a food processor. Grind in
>> some pepper on top. Add 1 stick of room temperature butter(*) and
>> pulverize until smooth. Add salt to taste, spin a little more, and
>> chill for 4 hours. Good on Triscuits (Sun-Dried Tomato or Rosemary)
>> and Club crackers.
>>
>> (*)Jaque Pepin says to use 3 sticks of butter per 1 pound of livers.
>
> I have found that the only thing that makes chicken livers "creamy smooth"
> is not overcooking them. There is no benefit to simmering chicken livers
> with onion and garlic and thyme for five minutes, as that isn't enough
> time to soften and develop the flavors or the onion and garlic, and you
> lose all of the thyme to the water. It would be better to saute those
> before cooking the livers, and hold them to the side until you're ready to
> take it all to the food processor.
>
> Even a food processor can't make overcooked livers "creamy smooth" no
> matter how hard you try or how much fat you add, but chicken livers that
> are cooked through and still pink in the center are moist and smooth as
> silk without mechanical assistance. I also don't bother brining chicken
> livers for pate. I add the seasoning later.

I think what may make the recipe survive on the table is the large quantity
of butter, far more than most of us would want. This recipe was published in
1982 in "Everyday Cooking".

Kent

Chicken Liver Pate
 

"Kent" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Pennyaline" > wrote in message
> ...
>> On 11/17/2011 10:47 AM, Sqwertz wrote:
>>> Chicken Liver Pate. A Sqwertz original. Cheap and Easy ($2 or less).
>>>
>>> Look for livers that are pale brown rather than rosy pink/red. Brine
>>> 1 pound livers in 12oz apple juice, 1 TB kosher salt, and 1 TB
>>> Worcestershire sauce for 3-4 hours. This help makes them creamy
>>> smooth.
>>>
>>> Drain and simmer livers with 1 small onion chopped roughly, a large
>>> clove of smashed garlic, and 1 tsp thyme until livers just barely lose
>>> their pink inside and are firm (about 5 minutes).
>>>
>>> Drain liquid and transfer all solids to a food processor. Grind in
>>> some pepper on top. Add 1 stick of room temperature butter(*) and
>>> pulverize until smooth. Add salt to taste, spin a little more, and
>>> chill for 4 hours. Good on Triscuits (Sun-Dried Tomato or Rosemary)
>>> and Club crackers.
>>>
>>> (*)Jaque Pepin says to use 3 sticks of butter per 1 pound of livers.
>>
>> I have found that the only thing that makes chicken livers "creamy
>> smooth" is not overcooking them. There is no benefit to simmering chicken
>> livers with onion and garlic and thyme for five minutes, as that isn't
>> enough time to soften and develop the flavors or the onion and garlic,
>> and you lose all of the thyme to the water. It would be better to saute
>> those before cooking the livers, and hold them to the side until you're
>> ready to take it all to the food processor.
>>
>> Even a food processor can't make overcooked livers "creamy smooth" no
>> matter how hard you try or how much fat you add, but chicken livers that
>> are cooked through and still pink in the center are moist and smooth as
>> silk without mechanical assistance. I also don't bother brining chicken
>> livers for pate. I add the seasoning later.
>
> I think what may make the recipe survive on the table is the large
> quantity of butter, far more than most of us would want. This recipe was
> published in 1982 in "Everyday Cooking".
>
> Kent


Come on now. Duck liver is the way to go. Soak in milk overnight, sauté the
onion and garlic, drain the liver, toss it all in the blender with herbs and
Marsala and 1 pound melted butter for each pound of liver. Then bake it
off.

Chicken Liver Pate
 

"Pico Rico" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Kent" > wrote in message
> ...
>>
>> "Pennyaline" > wrote in message
>> ...
>>> On 11/17/2011 10:47 AM, Sqwertz wrote:
>>>> Chicken Liver Pate. A Sqwertz original. Cheap and Easy ($2 or less).
>>>>
>>>> Look for livers that are pale brown rather than rosy pink/red. Brine
>>>> 1 pound livers in 12oz apple juice, 1 TB kosher salt, and 1 TB
>>>> Worcestershire sauce for 3-4 hours. This help makes them creamy
>>>> smooth.
>>>>
>>>> Drain and simmer livers with 1 small onion chopped roughly, a large
>>>> clove of smashed garlic, and 1 tsp thyme until livers just barely lose
>>>> their pink inside and are firm (about 5 minutes).
>>>>
>>>> Drain liquid and transfer all solids to a food processor. Grind in
>>>> some pepper on top. Add 1 stick of room temperature butter(*) and
>>>> pulverize until smooth. Add salt to taste, spin a little more, and
>>>> chill for 4 hours. Good on Triscuits (Sun-Dried Tomato or Rosemary)
>>>> and Club crackers.
>>>>
>>>> (*)Jaque Pepin says to use 3 sticks of butter per 1 pound of livers.
>>>
>>> I have found that the only thing that makes chicken livers "creamy
>>> smooth" is not overcooking them. There is no benefit to simmering
>>> chicken livers with onion and garlic and thyme for five minutes, as that
>>> isn't enough time to soften and develop the flavors or the onion and
>>> garlic, and you lose all of the thyme to the water. It would be better
>>> to saute those before cooking the livers, and hold them to the side
>>> until you're ready to take it all to the food processor.
>>>
>>> Even a food processor can't make overcooked livers "creamy smooth" no
>>> matter how hard you try or how much fat you add, but chicken livers that
>>> are cooked through and still pink in the center are moist and smooth as
>>> silk without mechanical assistance. I also don't bother brining chicken
>>> livers for pate. I add the seasoning later.
>>
>> I think what may make the recipe survive on the table is the large
>> quantity of butter, far more than most of us would want. This recipe was
>> published in 1982 in "Everyday Cooking".
>>
>> Kent
>
>
> Come on now. Duck liver is the way to go. Soak in milk overnight, sauté
> the onion and garlic, drain the liver, toss it all in the blender with
> herbs and Marsala and 1 pound melted butter for each pound of liver. Then
> bake it off.
>
Absolutely! Duck liver is almost the best. The best, of course, is goose
liver, It's very pricey though. Both are very satisfying. I routinely use
turkey liver in turkey stuffing. It has quite a delicate flavor. It goes
into the stuffing without cooking, and it's cooked only along with the
stuffing.

Kent