CHICKEN LIVER PÂTÉ AND CROÛTES Makes about 1½ pounds (680g) of pâté. By Dennis W. Viau; my own creation. Here s the thing about Chicken Liver Pâté: It s delicious! I know many of you might not believe that. Pâté? Yuck! But really, this is one of the most requested foods I make. I have served it many times and even those who approach it skeptically, like they might a sleeping rattlesnake, end up loving it. This is also extremely easy to make. I love pâté and I came up with this very simple recipe to make it easily. It is so easy to make, you ll want to hide this recipe from your guests. Let them think you worked all day in the kitchen. Ingredients: For the Pâté: 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 tablespoon butter 1 pound (454g) raw chicken livers 12 ounces (340g) uncooked Italian sausage (sweet/mild or spicy/hot), about three sausage links For the Croûtes: One thin French bread baguette (about 2½ to 3 inches (6 to 7cm) thick) ½ cup (120ml) extra virgin olive oil or melted butter Garlic powder (optional) Directions: To prepare the pâté: Heat the oil and butter in a skillet. Remove the casings (skins) from the Italian sausage links and add the meat to the skillet, breaking it up with a spatula. (The casings can be discarded.) Rinse the chicken livers and add to the skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until thoroughly cooked, 10 to 15 minutes; do not brown. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. Put all the meat in a food processor and process with the blade until smooth, less than a minute. Press into simple molds, such as ramekins, lined with wax paper or parchment paper in the bottom. This recipe makes enough to more than fill three 3½-inch (9cm) ramekins. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve. To prepare the croûtes: Slice the baguette into pieces about 1/8 inch (3mm) thick and place on a baking sheet, arranging in a single layer. Using a pastry brush, garnish lightly with olive oil and (optional) sprinkle lightly with garlic powder. Place in a 275 F (135 C) oven for 25 minutes to dry thoroughly. Store in an airtight container until ready to serve. Alternatively, you can buy croûtes, such as Melba Toast rounds. To serve: Using a small knife, cut around the edges to loosen the mold and carefully remove the pâté. Place in the center of a large serving dish and arrange croûtes around the pâté. Or spread croûtes with pâté and arrange on a serving platter. 1 The Step By Step guide begins on the following page. 20100831
1 STEP-BY-STEP 2 Assemble your ingredients (your mise en place a French term for everything in place ). I do this because occasionally I discover I am out of one ingredient and I hate having to rush to the store in the middle of cooking something. 2 Remove the casings from the Italian sausage links. Yes, they re a bit gross. The casing is typically skin taken from a pig s intestines. Melt the butter in the skillet over medium-high and add the oil. Add the sausage meat and break it up with a spatula.
3 3 Add the chicken livers and sauté everything until thoroughly cooked, but do not brown. You can add other flavors during the cooking stage. If you like your pâté a little on the spicy side you can add hot chili powder. Rosemary, garlic, dill, wine, etc., are all possibilities. You can be creative at this point. I use Italian sausage because it already has herbs in it, mostly fennel seed. You can also substitute with other meats. One of these days I ll try smoked salmon or chorizo. When the meat is cooked, remove from the heat and allow to cool enough to be safe for your food processor. 4 Place the cooked meat in a food processor fitted with the knife blade and process to a smooth consistency, less than a minute.
5 4 To prepare my ramekins I trace them on a piece of parchment paper and then cut a little inside the line, about ¼ inch. I place the round in the bottom of the ramekin before adding the pâté. It helps the meat to release later when I unmold them. Oiling them well can be sufficient too. 6 Fill each ramekin with the processed meat, pushing it down to fill in all the edges, and then smooth the top. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator. This will help set the meat to a firmer consistency.
7 5 To prepare the croûtes, cut the baguette into thin slices, about 1/8 inch (3mm) thick. 8 Arrange the bread slices on a baking sheet and brush lightly with olive oil or melted butter. Sprinkle with a little garlic powder (optional). Place in a 275 F (135 C) oven for 25 to 30 minutes to dry thoroughly. Let cool and store in an air-tight container until ready to serve. I don t like this quality of bread. The big holes allow the pâté to slip through. I also use my homemade pain de mie bread for making croûtes. See below. My recipe for pain de mie is on the web site in the Recipe Archive.
9 6 You can unmold the pâté and place in the center of a serving plate and then surround it with croûtes, or you can spread the croûtes with pâté in advance and then serve them to your guests. If you warm the pâté in advance it will be spreadable. When it is cold it slices well.
10 7 Using pain de mie, prepare the croûtes the same way as you would the sliced baguette, brushing with oil or butter and sprinkling lightly with garlic powder. 11 Served with croûtes made from pain de mie works very well. CONCLUSION: Although the idea of eating liver might seem unappetizing, this treat really is delicious. I have friends who love it so much they can make a meal of it. This is a very simple pâté. If you are familiar with pâté you know there are some very complicated and exotic versions, including the most famous version, pâté de foie gras, made with specially fattened goose liver.