The Ever-Evolving Broadway Quick Paté

Some people shrink away from organ meats such as liver because they are unfamiliar with it or they have been subjected to poorly prepared versions such as liver and onions made by their well meaning parents (“its good for you!!”), or because they simply don’t know how to cook with it. I don’t claim to be an expert yet, but I have found that a simple “Jewish-style” paté, which really doesn’t take a long time to prepare, can be a delicious snack or hors devours at parties along with some nice cheeses, crusty bread, crackers, and wine (a nice bulb of roasted garlic couldn’t hurt either!). Other versions of paté I have heard of from friends and in cook books are far more involved, and take far more time, use calf and even pork livers, and are far more expensive to prepare. I hope to toy with these at a later date, but I hope this simple version will wow and satisfy your guests at your next party.

Nutritionally, paté is intended to fall way short of “healthy”. My chef friend Hack, of whom I am hoping will read this blog someday when time allows, has said “its paté! Its supposed to be decadent!” So I would relegate this dish to special occasions and guests that aren’t too invested in eating “right” every day of the year.

www.nutritiondata.com has listed chicken liver (as seen below) as a somewhat balanced food. However, you will find that the abundance of other fats I add to this dish negate a lot of the health benefits.

*The Good
This food is low in Sodium. It is also a good source of Thiamin, Zinc, Copper and Manganese, and a very good source of Protein, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Riboflavin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Vitamin B12, Pantothenic Acid, Iron, Phosphorus and Selenium.

The Bad
This food is very high in Cholesterol.
*see http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts-C00001-01c20Al.html for full data on chicken liver.

Ingredients
1 pound chicken livers, preferably organic and preferably from the butcher, but store-bought tubs work nicely too
1 tablespoon rendered and strained goose or duck fat (chicken schmaltz works well too)
1 tablespoon butter
1 quick dab of good extra virgin olive oil
2 shallots, minced fine
3-4 cloves of minced garlic
2 tablespoons of dry red wine (I use Cabernet or even Merlot or Shiraz), or just enough to cover the bottom of the pan with the other ingredients already in it. I don’t measure scientifically as I will note below.
Kosher salt and ground black pepper

First, put the livers in a colander and rinse until the blood drains out. I trim them as much as is necessary with a small sharp knife until the connective tissue is gone to prevent tough nasty bits in the finished paté.

I take a clean skillet and put it on high heat, seasoning the bottom of the pan with kosher salt and pepper, about 1 good pinch of salt and a few grinds of the pepper mill. I melt down the rendered poultry fat and butter with a dab of olive oil before browning first the shallots and then the garlic, lowering the heat as necessary to prevent from burning the aromatics.
Then, in with the chicken livers! I let these brown on all sides and cook through. This takes perhaps 10 minutes, but I test them by taking out the biggest piece and cutting in half. It should be grayish throughout with no traces of pink, but not gritty or sandy in texture. Add another pinch of salt to the pan before the next, thoroughly satisfying step.

While shaking the pan gently, I grab the bottle of wine with my free hand and bite the cork and pull it like a grenade, pouring just enough in to cover the bottom of the pan. I cook this down until the bubbling liquid thickens just a bit and the pan smells “winey.” What you really should smell is aromatic shallot and garlic mixed with the bite of wine. Again, its all very unscientific.

I take this off the heat and allow it to cool before pouring the whole pan into the Cuisinart. I pulse this until it is all quite smooth, adding in several steps if necessary. The finished product should be a rather thick paste-like substance with no uneven chunks of liver or garlic or shallots.

I spread this with a spoon onto the center of an outstretched piece of Saran wrap (the blue self sticking stuff works great!!) and fold the wrap over on all sides to form a brick shaped block. Once folded I use my hands to mold the brick tightly, tightening the Saran wrap as necessary. All air should be squeezed out.

Next and final step is to chill this in the fridge overnight or at least 3 or 4 hours.

What you are left with is an attractive and well formed brick of paté that can be easily sliced and spread on bread or crackers. I’m still working on the recipe, but currently I can honestly say it is delicious!

Mangia, and feel free to put in your 2 cents!
James