Chicken Liver Pâté
If there’s one thing we’re good at here in the islands, it’s parties. Any excuse will do…half birthdays, weird holidays, Tuesdays. So when Bobby Gray turned 60 a few weeks ago we had ourselves a fine excuse for a party. Bobby’s wife, the lovely and talented artist Lisa Muddiman Gray, threw a surprise bash at our mutual friend Andy Mudie’s house in the jungle up at Greenbanks. I don’t think Bobby was ”bahn yah” but he’s certainly been here a long time, so the expatriate old guard was well-represented. (His father was a contractor and built the house we now live in some thirty years ago.)
Andy was in charge of dinner and various guests were charged with bringing appetizers, dessert and wine. Andy was sick but still managed to produce a fantastic birthday dinner of lamb from the wood-burning oven, roast beef with sauce béarnaise, Moroccan-spiced couscous, creamy potato salad, the best Greek salad I’ve had in a long time, and a perfectly dressed green salad. After putting this amazing feast on the table, poor Andy went straight to bed. Old school appetizers seemed appropriate for the old Tortola crowd so I made boiled shrimp with cocktail sauce and a few pots of chicken liver pâté. The pâté went over really well and here’s the recipe.
A hint of anchovy is my secret weapon in the kitchen. Just a touch added to stews or sauces lends a salty depth and adds dimension with no fishy flavor whatsoever. Try adding a little anchovy the next time you make devilled eggs. I didn’t have the anchovy paste in a tube so I used Patum Peperium’s Gentleman’s Relish, an anchovy paste that Bones loves to spread on hot buttered toast.
1 pound chicken livers
1 1/2 sticks (6 oz.) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 small shallots, peeled and minced
1 small clove garlic, peeled and minced
2 or 3 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves only
2 teaspoons anchovy paste or Gentleman’s Relish
2 tablespoons brandy or cognac
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
clarified butter for sealing the pâté (optional)
fresh thyme sprigs for garnish
Melt 3 tablespoons of the butter in a heavy sauté pan over medium heat. Add the chicken livers and fry gently until they’re almost cooked through but are still a little pink in the middle. Transfer the livers to a food processor. Melt another 3 tablespoons of butter in the same pan and cook the shallots and garlic until they’re soft. Stir in the thyme and anchovy paste and cook for 2 minutes, then stir in the brandy or cognac and the black pepper. Scrape the shallot mixture into the food processor and add the remainder of the butter. Process until the pâté is smooth and silky.
Transfer the pâté to one large or several small bowls or ramekins for serving. Set aside for half an hour to let the pâté cool down and firm up a bit. Cover the pâté with a layer of melted clarified butter (this is optional if you’re going to serve the pâté within 24 hours). A few sprigs of fresh thyme pressed into the butter make a pretty garnish. Serve with crackers, toast points or slices of crusty baguette.
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This brings back wonderful memories of my neighbor Florette, who used to make chicken-liver pâté for neighborhood parties. Unfortunately, she was perennially late so we didn’t actually eat it as an appetizer, but it was good at any point during the meal.
I hope Andy recovered in time to savor at least a few of the leftovers….
looks splendid