The earliest memory I have of pâté is the gooey pink-red stuff spread on Vietnamese sandwiches. I was too young to comprehend and question what I was eating. All I knew was that it made every bite of the banh mi infinitely better. In the past 2 years, we've had numerous iterations of pâté, the most memorable being the foie pâté at Petrossian and the chicken liver toast at Animal. It has become a staple in our restaurant adventures and no pâté goes unordered in our presence. That's why when we saw this recipe pop up in one of the food blogs we follow, we knew we had to try our hands in making this yummy chicken liver pâté from BLT.
BLT's Chicken Live Pâté
adapted Recipe Sleuth
Ingredients
1 bay leaf
7 sprigs fresh thyme
1 cup ruby port
1 shallot, thinly sliced, plus 2 tablespoons chopped shallots
1 garlic clove, thinly sliced, plus 2 teaspoons chopped garlic
1 pound chicken livers, trimmed
1 tablespoon fine sea salt
1¼ teaspoons pink salt (or regular sea salt)
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons duck fat or extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons Cognac or brandy
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
Fleur de sel, as needed
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
6 thick slices country bread, toasted
Instructions
Make the reduction:
Tie the bay leaf and 2 sprigs of thyme together with kitchen twine. In a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan, bring the port, herb bundle, sliced shallot, and sliced garlic to a simmer. Cook until the port is reduced to the consistency of a thick syrup. Remove the herb bundle.
Cook the chicken livers:
Season the chicken livers with the sea salt, pink salt, and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon of the duck fat in a large skillet over high heat. When the pan is nearly smoking, add half the livers and brown on 1 side, about 2 minutes. Turn and cook on the other side until golden brown but still pink in the center, about 1 minute more. Stir in half of the chopped shallots and chopped garlic. Pour in 1½ tablespoons of the Cognac and heat 1 minute. Scrape the mixture into a bowl. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.
Blend the mixture:
In a food processor, combine the livers and port syrup. Process until smooth. Blend in the butter. Season with salt and pepper. Scrape the mixture into a bowl. Repeat with the remaining ingredients. (The pâté can be made ahead up to this point. Cover and chill for up to 3 days. To reheat, place the spread in the top of a double boiler over simmering water. Heat gently, stirring occasionally, until warm.)
To serve:
Remove the leaves from the remaining thyme sprigs. Garnish the pâté with the thyme leaves, a sprinkling of fleur de sel, and the extra virgin olive oil. Serve warm with country bread and cornichons or pickled vegetables.
Note: This pâté came out quite yummy but definitely a bit on the heavier, liver-y side. I ended up whipping up some heavy cream and folding it in to lighten up the pâté and subdue the liver taste a bit. If you are not too much of a pâté lover, I'd recommend folding in the cream. I think I will also make some carmelized, shallot jam next time (the recipe is from the owners of Animal) to serve alongside the pate for extra texture and added sweetness.
After making this pâté, I am definitely in awe of all the chefs that love working with offals. I have to admit, cleaning and trimming the livers was the least fun part of the recipe and I still get a little quesy thinking about it. Next time, I'll be leaving this part of the recipe to Ray.