Easy Chicken Liver Pâté

This is an earthy and delicious version of chicken liver pâté. The perfect hors d'oeuvre with a glass of Riesling. The livers took 5 minutes per side and I did cut into one to make sure it was still pink inside. I tasted the pâté after whizzing it in the food processor and did add an additional 1/2 teaspoon salt. I did not push the mixture through a very fine sieve--we enjoy the rustic texture instead of a velvety texture. We enjoyed our pâté with toasts after chilling it for 4 hours so I didn't top it with clarified butter. This pâté could either be an elegant hors d'oeuvre or just enjoyed simply with a glass of wine.

How could anyone NOT try this chicken liver pâté recipe? Really, chicken livers blended with a ton of butter and Cognac? How could this not be good? Well, I made it, we ate it, and it was amazing. Creamy, flavorful, and just plain delicious on a great chunk of bread. It was my first time working with chicken livers so there was a learning curve involved but it was worth it! After the chicken livers were in the pan for 1 minute I began to turn them and realized that they were cooking very quickly! I removed the pan from the flame to test one and felt that it was beyond pink but not "well done." I ended up cutting into every liver and all but a couple were "done." I left the two in the pan to continue cooking with only the residual heat and that worked fine. Finally I was ready to watch the miracle of food processors happen. And it did. After about 3 minutes, I stopped to taste and adjust. Salt and pepper were fine but frankly, the Cognac needed a little adjusting. I added another 2 tablespoons and processed another minute. The flavor was perfect but there were bits of the browned parts of the liver that had not incorporated into the paste. I poured all the mixture into a fine sieve and worked it through with a spatula. The final product was perfect. I was able to fill (well, almost fill) three, four oz. mason jars and one more about 1/2 full. The half full one was gone in 30 min. and the other three have been topped off with the clarified butter and are waiting their turn to be devoured. I had hoped, if the recipe turned out well, that these cuties would become hostess gifts but that won't happen. I'm not a nice person.

If chicken livers are your thing, you will like this chicken liver pâté recipe. It was quick and easy to make. I packed the pâté into three 4-ounce jars and covered them with rendered duck fat instead of butter. (I know what you’re thinking--who has duck fat in their fridge? I happened to have a jar in my freezer because I had made cassoulet several months ago. So this was a perfect use for this, otherwise topping with clarified butter is the thing to do.) This makes a lovely gift along with a small jar of cornichons and crackers. In fact, this is what I gifted a friend for a recent birthday. I saved one in my freezer for future use and then still had one left for snacking. If you happen to have a small jar of bacon jam lurking in your fridge, there is no better way to serve this pâté than with toasted baguette slices and a smear of bacon jam. (Again--I know what you're thinking--who has duck fat AND bacon jam lurking in their fridge? All I can tell you is that it was a perfect storm!)

I used Grand Marnier instead of brandy since my liquor cabinet was devoid of brandy. Other worthy substitutions could include port, Marsala, or Madeira instead of brandy. I did strain the pâté in order to achieve a fine texture but I don’t think it’s totally necessary. You will experience a loss in volume if you do strain it. I added the Cognac and within 30 seconds it had flamed and reduced to almost nothing. I did strain the pâté and ended up with three 4-ounce jars of pâté.