Easy Chicken Liver Pate & Pickled Red Onions

I love chicken livers.

I blame my mother.

Mom would grill them (until they were just a bit too tough, but what did I know), then share them with me as we stood in the kitchen over the sink, never bothering to sit or enjoy, but more likely gobbling them for no other reason then that they tasted delicious, earthy, and even a bit, well, visceral, the way offal should.

I eat pates whenever possible, and only very occasionally make more rustic pates on my own, mostly because no one else in the house will eat them. Pity.

Today, I made the most delightful chicken liver pate, and just have to share the recipe with you, mostly because it's so, so very good.

Easy Chicken Liver Pate

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided use
  
• 1 small onion, sliced thinly or diced, whatever you like
  
• 1 Gala apple, peeled, then diced
• 1 pound chicken livers, trimmed of the chunky stuff
• 2 tablespoons brandy
• 2-4 tablespoons heavy cream
• salt
• pepper

Melt 2 T. butter in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the apple and onion and saute until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the cleaned and trimmed chicken livers to the pan with the apples and onions and saute until the livers are just no longer pink in the middle, about 6-7 minutes. Add the brandy to the pan (carefully; you don't want it to catch fire) and cook for an additional minute, until about half has evaporated.

Place the chicken liver mixture into a food processor, adding the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter, then process until smooth. Add 2 tablespoons of heavy cream to make creamy, adding up to an additional 2 tablespoons of cream (up to a total of 4 T.) Add a bit of salt and just a bit of pepper, give it a taste, and adjust the seasoning if necessary.

Place into a container, leave the lid off, and allow to cool for about 15 minutes. Cover and place in refrigerator until firm, 6-8 hours.


Quick Pickled Red Onions

Today I made a riff on a recipe I found on the fabulous David Lebovitz's site. I'm not as big a fan of some of the flavorings he uses in matching them with my pate recipe, so I've adjusted accordingly. You can check out the original recipe here.

For my purposes, I skipped the hot pepper, allspice, and cloves, and instead added 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns. Follow the rest of the recipe and you'll be all set.

I make the onions concurrently with the pate, so they'll both have ample time to chill.

Grab a loaf of crusty bread, a liver-lovin' friend, sit back and enjoy. This is one of my favorite fall recipes, and I am ready to go. Enjoy!