Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons clarified butter
- 1 lb. beef liver, cut into pieces
- 1 small red onion, chopped
½ cup red wine
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary
- 1 sprig fresh thyme
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 6 oz (¾ cup) butter, at room temperature
- salt
cracked black pepper
- 4 tablespoons clarified butter
- 1 lb livers from pastured chickens
- 2 large shallots, roughly chopped
- 1 clove garlic, coarsely chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh sage, snipped OR 1 tablespoon dried sage
½ cup brandy, cognac, or sherry
- 8 oz (1 cup) regular butter, at room temperature
- salt and pepper to taste
fresh sage leaves, to garnish
- 2 lb pork shoulder, ground
- 1 lb chicken livers, chopped
- 2 shallots, roughly chopped
- 1 tablespoons Dijon-style mustard
¼ cup brandy
- 2 tablespoons green peppercorns OR ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
½ teaspoon sea salt
- 2 eggs
¼ cup pistachios, optional
- 2 cups cold water
- 2 ½ teaspoons (1 envelope) unflavored gelatin
Directions
- Cook the liver and onions. Heat the clarified butter in a skillet until melted. Add the onions and liver pieces. Sauté until the livers are browned and the onions are tender.
- Season the liver mixture. Add the wine, garlic, mustard, herbs, and lemon juice and cook uncovered until most of the liquid has evaporated. Set aside to cool.
- Grind the mixture into a smooth paste. Scrape the cooled liver mixture into a food processor and add the butter. Blend until smooth. If the pâté is dry and crumbly rather than smooth and creamy, add more butter one tablespoon at a time. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Chill and serve. Place the pâté in a serving dish and grind a generous amount of cracked pepper over the top. Serve immediately, if desired, but preferably, set in the fridge for a few hours or overnight, as the best flavor will be after a day or two. Bring to room temperature prior to serving. Serve with sourdough toasts or whole grain crackers.
- Cook the liver and shallots. Heat the clarified butter in a skillet until melted. Add the diced shallots and sauté until just starting to brown. Rinse chicken livers gently to remove any excess blood, then shake off all excess liquid and add them to the pan. Simmer until livers are browned through, the liquid has largely cooked away, and the livers begin to fall apart.
- Season the liver mixture. Add the garlic and sage and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds, then deglaze the pan with brandy. Continue to cook until brandy has nearly completely evaporated. Remove the mixture from the heat and allow it to cool.
- Grind the mixture into a smooth paste. Cut the regular butter into pieces. Scrape the liver mixture into a food processor and add the butter. Process until smooth.
- Chill and serve. Place pâté in a serving bowl or mold and set in the fridge for a few hours or overnight, but bring to room temperature prior to serving. Serve with sourdough toasts or whole grain crackers. (Or just eat it straight off the spoon, as my one-year-old does with great gusto…)
- Prepare your oven and pans. Preheat oven to 450°F and prepare a bain marie (water bath) by filling a 9” × 13” cake pan half-full with warm water. Butter a 9” x 5” loaf pan and have at the ready.
- Mix the ingredients. Place pork, livers, and shallots in a large food processor and process until finely chopped. Add mustard, brandy, peppercorns, salt, and eggs and process again until all ingredients are incorporated. You don’t need a completely smooth, homogenous mixture. Add pistachios, if using, and pulse to mix.
- Bake the pâté. Place meat mixture in the prepared loaf pan and cover with foil. Place in the bain marie – the water should come at least halfway up the sides of the loaf pan. Bake in the oven for approximately 1 ½ hours until a thermometer inserted in the center reads 160-165°F. Refill the bain marie occasionally with hot water if necessary.
- Bloom the gelatin. About 5-10 minutes before the pâté is expected to come out of the oven, pour the cold water into a small bowl, then sprinkle over the unflavored gelatin. Let sit until the pâté has been removed from the oven and the gelatin has dissolved completely.
- Brush the pâté. When the pâté is cooked, remove the loaf pan from the bain marie and poke several holes into the loaf with a long skewer or toothpick. Brush the top of the pâté with a generous coating of the gelatin. As the loaf cools over the following 20-30 minutes, pour several thin applications of gelatin over it to let it sink in and to create a protective coating on the outside of the pâté. This will keep it moist and succulent.
- Chill the pâté. Place in the refrigerator and chill until completely cold, then unmold and wrap in plastic wrap or place in a glass storage container. Store in the refrigerator for up to three days.
- Serve the pâté. To serve, slice the pâté into ½-inch slices. Serve with a selection of mustards, pickles, olives, hard-boiled eggs, or sliced tomatoes, and pair it with other charcuterie, a green salad, or rustic breads.
Notes
If you do not have a food processor, here’s a work-around: Mince the chicken livers and shallots as finely as you possibly can by hand, then place all ingredients (except water and gelatin) in a large bowl and mix well by squishing and squeezing the mixture with your hands. When the mixture is nearly homogenous, continue with the recipe as stated.