Diana’s Chicken Liver Paté with Mushroom and Brandy
Ingredients
- 500 g fresh chicken livers trimmed of all white sinew
- 2 slices of bacon (no rind) chopped
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons of mixed herbs (lemon thyme, rosemary, parsley and a bay leaf)
- 1 large clove of garlic
- ½ cup chopped mushrooms
- 200 g butter
- 1 tablespoon of cultured cream (cream fraiche)
- Clarified butter to seal tops
- 3 tablespoons of brandy
- Salt and black pepper to taste (1/2 teaspoon of the pepper)
Method
- In a heavy based frying pan melt 1/3 of the butter and fry the bacon, garlic, onion, mushroom and herbs. Remove with a slotted spoon into a bowl.
- Fry the livers, searing each side until the livers are just cooked then add back in the other ingredients and the brandy and allow to simmer for 2 minutes.
- Remove the bay leaf and transfer all of the mix to a blender along with the cultured cream and the remainder of the butter cut into cubes. Blend with salt and pepper until smooth and creamy.
- Pour the mix into ramekins or moulds and smooth the top. Cover with clarified butter (ghee) to seal.
- Refrigerate and serve the next day with crusty bread or on crispbread. This will keep at least 3 weeks in the fridge.
- If you prefer the pate’ a bit firmer add in 1 melted gelatin leaf to the simmering mixture just prior to blending.
- You can make clarified butter by melting butter in the microwave or in the oven and then draining off the separated fat from the milk solids.