A smooth luxurious Chicken Liver Pâté with a hint of smoked garlic and sweet Port.
There is a little story behind this Pâté. My mother used to make amazing garlic pâté when she would have a dinner party, she would sometimes save some for us to try, and my neighbour Sue loved it too. Not long back I found the recipe, handwritten on a piece of paper in the back of an old cooking book.
I followed the recipe to the word, and it tasted just as I remember, but she would make it more chunky, and I’m a lover of smooth pâté.
It got me to thinking, how would she feel if I changed some of the ingredients? I think she would be happy for me to at least try, so I did. Trying different amounts of garlic, different herbs, adding some alcohol, and I came up with this. It honours her recipe, but with my twist of smoked garlic, Port and thyme.
This gives you the great taste of a garlic pâté without the harsh garlic taste, this is smokey, then you get the taste of the herbed livers, that unmistakable irony flavour, then you’re hit with the sweet taste of the Port.
I think she would have loved this version too, but whenever I have Pâté I always think of my mum.
Chicken Liver Pâté with Smoked Garlic and Port
(No Ratings Yet)
Loading...A smooth luxurious pâté with a hint of smoked garlic and sweet Port.
Ingredients
- 450g Chicken Livers (trimmed of any sinew)
- 250g unsalted butter
- 1 small white onion
- 60ml Port
- Smoked garlic purée
- 2 sprigs of thyme
- Salt and pepper
- Bay leaves for decoration
Instructions
Place onion in a food mixer and pulse until completely minced
Add 25g of butter to a hot heavy bottom frying pan
Once butter has started to bubble add the onion and cook for a couple of minutes until onions become translucent
Add the smoked garlic purée and cook for a further 2 minutes
Remove onion mixture and any remaining liquid and place in your food blender or a large mixing bowl
Add another 25g of butter to the frying pan and once bubbling add the chicken livers and cook until the outside starts to brown, but insides are still slightly pink
Remove chicken livers and and remaining liquids and also place into your food mixer or large mixing bowl
Next add 25g of butter to the frying pan and once bubbling add the thyme leaves (not the stalks) and cook for 30 seconds, then add 40ml of Port and cook off for 2 minutes
Add this to the onions and livers in the mixer
If you are using a food mixer, place on low to medium speed and start blending together, you can use the pulse mode if you prefer a chunkier pâté. If you are using a large mixing bowl you can use a stick blender, but best results are from a food mixer
While this is blending, start adding 125g of butter and 20ml of Port to the mix
Continue blending until smooth and silky
Spoon in to small pots or ramekin’s. If you are putting in jars, make sure they are fully sterilised first, then put the mixture in a piping bag and pipe into jars, this makes filling jars easier and cleaner
In a small saucepan warm the remaining 50g of butter until liquid and skim the from the top (this is the clarified butter part, not the butter solids which drop to the bottom, this gives the butter a more translucent look) and pour over the Pâté. This creates a seal, giving it a better fridge life.
I will normally place a bay leaf on top for decoration, but you can use thyme leaves, or even red currants
Place in the fridge and leave to set for at least 4 hours
Serve with Melba roasts, crackers or how ever you like
Notes
Perfect with Melba toasts, crackers, crisp breads or simply with toast!
No Comments