Pâté de Foie

Pâté is one of my favorite delicacies. Of course, it helps that I like liver – a lot. This pâté has a subtle liver flavor because it’s made with mild chicken livers. It’s silky smooth, spreadable, and has a subtle flavor of herbs and cognac.

Pâté is not to be confused with foie gras, which are actual lobes of fattened liver, usually goose, typically served in slices with a fruit compote of some sort.

There are also terrines, sometimes called Terrines de Campagne, which are dense loaves made from coarsely ground meats and don’t typically include liver. Terrine slices are fabulous as part of an aprés-ski spread, especially for non-liver lovers.

Country Terrine with Pistachios, at left, Game Terrine with Hazelnuts, on right

Quite often in the fall or winter, I’ll make this simple and inexpensive pâté, even though I’m usually the only one who enjoys it. I like it served the traditional way – with French bread or toast points, as part of a charcuterie platter.

This recipe is my mother’s. I’ve seen similar recipes, but I just stick to this one because it always comes out perfectly. And, it’s been adored by many who dislike liver!

Pâté de Foie

2 pounds chicken livers, at room temperature
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
2-3 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
Few bay leaves
2 sticks butter
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon allspice
Pinch of salt
A few grindings black pepper
4 tablespoons cognac

The first thing that needs to be done is clean the livers. There are membranes and sometimes little blobs of fat that need to be removed. You’ll feel the membranes – just do your best to pull on them while holding the livers in the other hand. Then discard. Continue with all the livers, rinsing them as you go, and placing them in a colander.

Place all of the livers on paper towels to dry; set aside.

Meanwhile, have all of your aromatics ready to go. Then heat both sticks of butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. I like to brown the butter slightly. When the butter is bubbling, add the onion, garlic, and bay leaves. Sauté for 5 minutes.

Add the livers to the skillet, plus the thyme, allspice, salt, and pepper. After about 5 minutes of cooking and occasional stirring, add the cognac. Stir the mixture and let it cook for another minute or so. Turn off the heat and let everything cool down.

When it’s cooled, cover the mixture tightly and place in the refrigerator overnight or 48 hours. Before making the pâté, bring the liver mixture to room temperature or even warm gently.

Remove the bay leaves. Place about half of the livers in a blender, not including all of the liquid. Have a stiff rubber spatula handy.

Blend on low; it will look like it won’t blend, but it really will. Be patient with the mixture. Move it around with the spatula, and blend again.

Once it’s smooth, pour into a terrine, or loaf-shaped mold, then repeat with the remaining liver mixture. Pour the mixture into the mold until the desired level and let sit for about 30 minutes. Then cover tightly and cool. If you’re not using right away, cover it with about 1/4″ of duck fat or slightly warm butter. I think the fat layer makes a pretty presentation, but one doesn’t eat it.

Serve at room temperature, with bread or toasts alongside a jam, chutney, or nothing.

This pâté is so light, it could be served any time of year.