Chicken Liver Pate

Liver Pate is the perfect mate to pair with wine for your social gatherings. Whether it is a fancy dinner party or a relaxing night with family and friends, liver pate is always a perfect fit.

The liver pate that I made today is using white livers. White liver is a bit creamier and more mild than the darker variety as it doesn’t have as much of that distinct gamey liver taste. I first learned about white chicken livers from a local butcher. I asked for chicken liver for my pate and he asked if I wanted white or dark livers.  Not knowing the difference, I got both to test at home. I found that the white variety is smoother and less gamey.  Ever since then, I’ve been getting the white variety whenever I can find it.  Of course, the recipe works for both and some prefer the standard liver flavor of the dark livers.

I normally top the pate with some pink peppercorns. The pink peppercorns are actually a type of fruit that looks like coarse pepper. It has a nice blend of sourness and bitterness and the tastes very nice when mixed with black, white or green peppercorns. The pop of pink also adds nice color. Serve the liver pate with sliced baguette, wine, pickles and topped with the pink peppercorns. 

Chicken Liver Pate

·       700g White or Dark chicken liver (blood, tendon and fat removed)

·       8 tablespoons of butter

·       ½ onion

·       ½ celery

·       2 cloves of garlic

·       3 fresh thyme sprigs

·       3 bay leaves

·       ½ tablespoon salt

·       pepper

·       milk

·       60cc cognac or other brandy

·       30cc red wine

·       30cc Madeira wine

1.    Rinse the liver well with cold water and remove blood, tendon and fat.

2.     Soak the liver in milk for about an hour to remove the smell. Pat the liver with kitchen towel to remove the excess moisture.

3.    In a pot, melt 4 tablespoons of butter. Cut onion, celery and garlic into small pieces.

4.    Cook the onion, celery and garlic until they’re soft in the pot.

5.    Add the liver, salt, and pepper and cook until the liver starts to change its color. Make sure not to cook for too long!

6.    When the color of the liver turns darker, add cognac, wine, and Madeira wine. Add the thyme and bay leaves and cook until the moisture is cooked off.

7.    When the mixture becomes thicker and the excess moisture is gone, turn the heat off. Remove thyme and bay leaves from the mixture, and transfer it to food processor.

8.    Add 4 tablespoons of butter in the food processor and process until the mixture becomes paste-like. Season with salt and pepper if needed.

9.    Transfer to airtight container and cover with saran wrap. When the mixture is cool enough, move it to the fridge to let it harden.

*The pate keeps for about a week. You can freeze them if you can’t finish it.

*If you can’t find white liver then just use normal chicken liver.

*If you don’t have Madeira wine on hand, use port wine or more red wine.

We should wait until the pate hardens in the fridge but I usually can’t resist eating when it’s still soft. It tastes great when soft too!