It was over four years ago when I first attempted to make liver paté. The first recipe I used and the story that went with it is on page two of this post (link at the bottom). I made a new batch today, I tweaked the original recipe and came up with a paté that is creamier and tastier. The trick is probably the open secret that only the French seem to pay attention to. Butter, butter and butter.
Meaning, I used more butter. Yes, a little more. But it’s more about how the butter was used than the amount that made the difference. Instead of just mixing the chopped onion and garlic with the pureed liver, I sauteed them in butter first. I waited until they had softened and released their wonderful aromas before I stirred them into the liver puree. The result, in texture and in flavor, was so amazingly better.
Recipe: Liver paté
Ingredients
- 8 to 10 chicken livers
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 6 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1/4 c. of butter
- 1/2 tsp. of celery salt
- 1 tsp. of rock salt
- 1/2 tsp. of freshly cracked black pepper
- 1/2 tsp. of dried tarragon
- 1/2 tsp. of dried thyme
- 3/4 c. of cream
Instructions
- Place the chicken livers in a small pan. Pour in about two cups of water. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Scoop out and cool.
- Preheat the oven to 375F.
- Start boiling a kettle of water.
- Remove the hearts and white veins (or are they membranes? Whatever, I’m referring to the white stuff that connects the hearts to the livers).
- Drop the livers into the food processor and puree. Transfer to a mixing bowl.
- Melt half of the butter in a small frying pan. Saute the onion and garlic until translucent. Turn off the heat and add the rest of the butter.
- Add the sauteed mixture to the liver. Add the rest of the ingredients. Stir. Spoon into ramekins.
- Prepare the water bath. Place the ramekins in a baking dish. Pour boiling water into the baking dish, taking care not to spill any on the liver mixture, until the depth is about three-quarters of the height of the ramekins.
- Bake at 375F for 25 to 30 minutes.
- Cool the liver pate. Cover the ramekins with cling wrap or foil then chill.
- Use the liver paté as a spread or for liver-based sauces.
Preparation time: 15 minute(s)
Cooking time: 30 minute(s)
Number of servings (yield): variable, depending on use
Pages: 1 2
You may already know this: you can use melted clarified butter (after heating some butter and skimming the stuff that floats on top) to top pate – after it’s refrigerated I assume the solid clarified butter will help keep the pate fresh for a while, much like the layer of oil you put on top of pesto. It’s pretty if you put a bay leaf or fresh herb on the pate before pouring on the clarified butter, too.
Here’s an example of the butter topping: http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/14574/ocean+trout+pate
I got this faux liver pate recipe from a friend. Since chicken liver from the groceries come in large packs, use the canned liver spread. No kidding! Put in the same ingredients (including the cream). I saute the onions first with a little olive oil then into the blender they go. Then to the oven in a water bath.
Tried it several times but I used Swifts. Never tried other brands. Saves a little time but nothing beats using real chicken liver. Although it still is a hit in parties though.
BTW, we also grew up with mashed chicken liver in patis for sawsawan for tinola or nilagang manok.
Hmmm. Let’s see if this will encourage some to be converts. The liver with patis as a dipping sauce really intrigued me. I just had tinolang manok a few days ago.
Yummy!!! I *heart* liver paté. Whenever I’m in Germany, I try to subsist on leberwurst, but here in Manila, I’m happy with Reno sandwiched in hot pandesal hehe
hi connie,
i love liver esp. cooked a la bistek, tsaka yung reno liver spread sa mainit na pandesal at sa caldereta, at ang atay sa menudo pati na rin ang adobong atay at balon-balonan. pag nagluluto ako ng menudo at caldereta for our non-pinoy friends, they’d ask kung anong ingredients. they’d be surprised to hear na merong liver but even the pickiest of them would find the dish quite good. meron pang take home minsan. o baka naman polite lang talaga sila? hahaha. anyway, i should give this liver pate recipe a try and let you know how it turned out. thanks!
Haha, I hate liver myself unless it’s Pate de Foie. And I’m a DAK and/or Tulip Pate de Foie addict. It’s nice to know that one can actually prepare them.
I love liver and liver pate. Goes great with hot pandesal.
Awwww, no nice to know there are liver lovers out there hehehe
Thanks, Rose, I’ll try that next time. I bet the coloring would be even wonderful. If I make a lot of liver pate for gift giving, they should be pretty aside from tasting good.
Just wanted to say that I am exactly like your daughters–will not touch liver in any form whatsoever except in the form of pate! Pate was introduced to me as a child by my aunt, & we all loved it at home. Here in the US I hadn’t had pate for the longest time, when I was able to buy some at a specialty grocery store called Trader Joe’s. The taste & texture brought back so many childhood memories. The hubby & I like it spread thinly on black pepper water crackers. I don’t think I could ever make it myself, although homemade sounds like it’d be the best, especially with the cream! And your pictures of your pate are making me hungry. =)
If it’s any incentive for you to try making liver pate at home, Julie, I just added liver pate to the gravy for tonight’s roast pork dinner. Ahhh, it was fabulous!
Connie, where can I get Tarragon? Does that come in a McCormick bottle? Or is it fresh like parsley (hehehe I include the stem now!)?
I am such a herb illiterate
Gail, yes, McCormick has dried tarragon. Two more years and you’ll be an herb expert, no worries hehehe
since i have no oven available yet,can i steam them?thanks,your site is a very big help for those like me who like their food a bit authentic and really delicious, more power and wag kang sasawa sa kabibigay sa amin ng maraming tips about cooking
Mono, I don’t know about steaming. It might turn out soggy.
I tried this recipe out, it’s such a hit with my sister and Marc
BTW, does it make a difference if I don’t put the pan with the pate in a pan with water? I mean, would it affect the pate if there isn’t water?
Gail, it might turn dry.
Hi im so glad i found this blog. I was thinking of a gift for christmas and thanks for the recipe. My mother in law is from Vigan and she taught me the liver sauce for tinola. My kids won’t enjoy tinola without that sauce. However, we put the liquid anchovies (bagoong) from ilocos, put some drops of kalamansi and some stock of the tinola.
Kalamansi is a great idea.
Hi Connie.
Just tried this recipe. Not sure what the baking step is for though. It came out still liquidy/fluid? Though since I didn’t have small baking pans, I just put the mix in one big Pyrex loaf pan and stuck in a bigger Pyrex with water. Maybe that’s what went wrong? The smell is exquisite though. Can’t wait to taste when it cools!
Hi Connie. This looks easy enough–can’t wait to try. What will happen though if I skip the baking part?
Then it won’t solidify.