Chef Geoff Stevens,
Stephen & Andrew Food & Wine Shoppe
This longtime neighbourhood hors d’oeuvre favourite is easier to make than you might think. Pair with crackers or a sweet, nutty bread that plays off the caramelized onion flavour.
Ingredients
1 500ml tub chicken livers
2 cups cold butter, cubed
2 cups butter, to clarify
1 medium onion, finely diced
¼ cup dark balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp sugar
salt and pepper to taste
Method
Clarified butter
1. In a heavy-bottomed sauce pan, melt butter over low heat without stirring until the butter separates and stops spitting. Pour off the clear butter into a bowl, leaving the white milk solids behind to discard.
Pâté
1. In a sauté pan, sear livers on high heat until medium rare. Remove from pan.
2. In the pan, cook onions and sugar on high heat, then reduce heat to low and let caramelize approx 20 min.
3. Mash together livers and onions, adding cubed butter a little at a time. Put mixture through a very fine sieve, pour into loaf pan or prefered moulds. Cover with plastic wrap and let set in fridge approx 1 ½ hours.
4. Once set top with clarified butter to form a 1 cm thick crust and sprinkle with balsamic drops. Return to the fridge, covered, to set the butter, approx 2 hrs.
5. Serve with crackers or thinly sliced fruit and nut bread.
Yield 8–10 servings