Chicken Liver Pâté
00:00 Intro
00:44 Prepping Shallots and Livers
02:20 Cooking Livers
04:03 Liver Doneness
05:55 Caramelizing Shallots
07:55 Pureeing the Pâté
If you don’t want shallots for garnish, reduce the amount to 200g
500g chicken livers
1 Tbsp oil for high heat cooking (like canola)
2 Tbsp butter (1 for the livers and 1 for the shallots)
350g sliced shallots
Salt and black pepper
1/4 cup cognac (or any brandy, port, madeira, wine, or stock)
3/4 cups heavy cream
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
Rinse, dry, and trim the chicken livers. Set a large pan (if possible stainless steel) over medium-high heat. Add canola oil and 1 Tbsp of butter. Season the livers with salt and pepper. When the pan is hot, add the livers and cook until golden on both sides, about 2 min per side. I prefer the livers at 150F, which is very pink inside. Remove to a plate.
Reduce heat to low. Add another tablespoon of butter and wait for it to melt. Add the shallots and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally until they begin to brown. When the brown bits on the bottom of the pan become dark, add the cognac and scrape them up to integrate them with the shallots. Continue cooking the shallots, stirring occasionally, until they are very tender and jammy, adding olive oil if the pan feels dry, 15-20 min. Stir in the balsamic vinegar. Taste and correct for salt. Remove about 1/3 of the shallots and reserve for garnish.
Add 1/4 cup of cream and bring to a simmer scraping up the brown bits. If you want your livers more well done, add them to the pan and cook, stirring frequently, until the inside is no longer pink. Cool till warm.
Put the livers, shallots and the remaining 1/2 cup of cream into a blender or food processor and puree until silky smooth. For firmer texture, reduce the cream by 1/4 cup and replace it with 2 Tbsp butter.
Spoon into containers. Press the plastic wrap into the top of the pâté or seal with some clarified butter or chicken fat. Refrigerate overnight. Serve with rewarmed shallots and any fruit jam. It’s also good with pickled shallots and Dijon mustard.
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