mulberryshoots

One of my favorite things to munch on is chicken liver pate. I’ve made it at Christmas time since my kids were young. Today, I decided to make a batch for a late lunch that we’re having with friends who are visiting the hospital for a post-operative checkup. It’s very easy to make and tastes wonderful!

Here’s the simple recipe:

Buy a container of fresh chicken livers at the market. Rinse the contents with cold tap water. Then, take each one out individually and trim off the connective gristle and tissue on the livers with a sharp knife. It’s not as bad as it sounds. Dry the livers on a paper towel. Melt a half stick of unsalted butter in a skillet and lightly brown a chopped up shallot. Place the dried and trimmed chicken livers into the skillet and cook under medium heat until cooked through, turning pieces over every once in awhile.

When the livers are about cooked through, pour in about two-three tablespoons of Madeira sherry. You can also use Marsala if you don’t have Madeira, but the Madeira adds a wonderful sweet aroma to the cooked livers. In the meantime, bring two eggs to a boil and hard-boil them. Drain in cold tap water and peel. The last major ingredient in this recipe is Philadelphia cream cheese, regular rectangular big size.

Let the livers/madeira cool in a separate bowl so as not to have the heat of the pan retain their temperature. In a Cuisinart or blender, add the livers, cut up the hard boiled eggs and add the cream cheese – also cut up to make it easier to blend. I use a Cuisinart food processor (the large one) and it is a breeze to puree the pate together.

Before I do, I sprinkle on some truffle salt – which is a wonderful umami taste enhancer and some cracked pepper. I whizz the whole thing together, taste for seasoning and then remove the pate to a nice looking serving bowl. On top of the pate, I usually add a bay leaf or two as decoration.

On toasted 7 grain bread; warm ciabetta slices, triscuit crackers or melba toast, this chicken liver pate will enhance any spread you decide to lay out on the table.

Bon Appetit! Can’t wait! It’s also a wonderful thing to have in the fridge for those moments when I have a craving for something savory in the evening or snacking in the afternoon when nobody else is around!