December 27, 2018

Creamy Red Wine Chicken Liver Pate


Makes 1 & 1/2 cups pate

1 large egg
1 tablespoon schmaltz (rendered chicken fat)
2 medium onions, peeled, chopped
1 garlic cloves, chopped
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 pound chicken livers, trimmed, rinsed
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon vegetable oil + more if you need for frying
1 tablespoon red wine
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon coarsely chopped fresh parsley
Salt and ground black pepper to taste


Red Wine Glaze

2 tablespoons water
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons red wine
1 & 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin granules
pinch of ground allspice

Place egg in a small pot of cold water and bring to boil over medium-high heat. Allow the egg to boil for 8 minutes. Drain, then submerge the egg in the bowl of cold water and let stand for a couple minutes. Peel and coarsely chop; set aside.

In a large skillet, heat the schmaltz over the medium heat until melted. Add the chopped onion and cook for 1 minute; then add garlic and cook for more 2 minutes. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper, add coriander and nutmeg, mix everything very well and continue to cook for more 3-5 minutes until onions are softened and light brown.

While the onions are cooking, dredge the livers in the flour, shaking off any excess, then season with salt. Remove onion mixture from the pan and set aside.

Add 1 tablespoon of oil and livers to the same skillet and fry, turning once or twice, until cooked through and barely pick in the center, 8 to 8 minutes. Add more oil, if needed, but not over-oil the livers.

Transfer the livers to a food processor. Add chopped egg, onion mixture, red wine, mustard, and parsley. Process until smooth. Check for salt and pepper.

Tip: if you don't like coriander and nutmeg, substitute them on 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar added to food processor before processing. Some people might like to add a dash of sugar. Please, feel free to do it.

Prepare deep small 4-inch in diameter pan or container, better with a lid. Transfer chicken liver pate from food processor to a pan and start to make a jelly glaze.

To make the jelly, put the water and 2 tablespoons of the wine in a small bowl and sprinkle the gelatin over it. Let sit 5 minutes.

In a small pan, warm the 1/4 cup of the wine with the sugar, allspice, then pour it over the softened gelatin, stirring until the gelatin is completely dissolved (don't boil). Let the mixture cool until it’s tepid, then pour it over the back of a spoon (to avoid creating a divot in the pâté), over the chilled pâté. Cover and immediately place in refrigerator and keep there for another 2-3 hours. I left for overnight.

Serve with crusty bread or crackers along with sliced cornichons or light salad.


This recipe is a compilation of 2 recipes I found: "Renee's chopped liver" from "Bringing it home" by Gail Summons with Mindy Fox and "Chicken Liver Pate" by David Lebovitz

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