Chicken Liver Pâté

⏳ Time

2 hours + 8 hours

🥕 Ingredients

🍽️ Servings

Description

John Smith, chef at a popular American restaurant, prepares liver pâté using classic French techniques: he first blends the raw liver and then passes it through a fine sieve to achieve a smooth consistency reminiscent of a smoothie. This mixture is then loaded into a baking dish, combined with evaporated brandy and vinegar (the alcohol evaporates while the acidity of the vinegar becomes more refined), and finished in the oven. As a result, the texture of the pâté resembles a solid mass but is quite spreadable, allowing the knife to glide through it effortlessly when spreading on bread.

Ingredients

Water - 1 qt
Salt - 2.8 oz
Sugar - 0.2 oz
Thyme - 0.2 oz
Garlic - 10 cloves
Chicken Liver - 31.7 oz
Cognac - 1 fl oz
Chicken Egg - 3 pieces
Champagne Vinegar - 0 fl oz
White Pepper (whole) - to taste

Step by Step guide

Step 1

Prepare all the ingredients.

Step 2

Add 80 grams of salt, sugar, thyme, and minced garlic to the water. Bring to a boil, then remove from heat and let it cool completely.

Step 3

Place the liver in the cooled brine and leave it for 2–3 hours.

Step 4

In a small saucepan, bring the cognac to a boil over medium heat to evaporate the alcohol, and let it simmer for 1 minute.

Step 5

Drain the salted liver in a sieve and transfer it to a blender bowl, removing the garlic and herbs. Add the eggs, brandy, white wine vinegar, a pinch of sugar, and white pepper.

Step 6

Blend until smooth and pass it through a sieve.

Step 7

Transfer to a heatproof dish, ensuring the pâté is no more than 2 inches thick. Cover with plastic wrap and bake in an oven preheated to 149°F (149 degrees Fahrenheit) for 2 hours.