You can’t keep a good woman down, and you can’t stop Chica from interfering in the kitchen. Thank you for all the good wishes for my recuperation from the little gall bladder operation. All is going well apart from feeling very tired and looking quite pale and interesting. Loved ones felt that I might be a little anaemic and my cravings for dried apricots and green leafy vegetables probably confirm that.
The kitchen is progressing slowly but well and the other evening I really wanted to make something from scratch rather than just heat up a meal I had waiting in the freezer. The fact that I craved liver and still didn’t have a hob was not going to deter me and I am showing you the grim reality of my current cooking arrangements in the spirit of honesty and to encourage anyone who doesn’t have a super swishy cooker. If you want to do it…you can!
Slightly lower fat chicken liver paté for the stubborn and determined cook
- 400g chicken livers trimmed of any sinews and soaked for about 30 minutes in milk to remove any bitterness
- 100g low fat creme frâiche
- 2 cloves of garlic peeled and grated or crushed
- 1 shallot peeled and finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon each of Port and Brandy
- salt and pepper to taste
- 40g approx unsalted butter, gently heated and white foam spooned off (clarified butter)
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- A sprig of something pretty from your herb garden to decorate
In a large frying pan, heat a tablespoon of the oil. Drain and dry the chicken livers well with kitchen paper and cook on a medium heat for a couple of minutes each side until browned but still pink in the middle. If you can’t bear bloody meat, go ahead and cook them through thoroughly. It’s your paté, your choice!
Remove from the pan to a plate and wipe the pan clean. Add the rest of the oil and gently fry the shallot and garlic until transparent and soft. Add the cooked chicken livers to the pan with the port and brandy and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated. Season lightly with the salt and pepper and allow to cool slightly for a few minutes.
Put the mixture into a blender (I used a stick blender so used the tall container that comes with it) together with the creme frâiche. Blend until smooth, taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.
Spoon into a serving dish and pour over the clarified butter, decorating if you like. If you prefer to use individual serving dishes you may need more butter. I think thyme is more usual as a decoration, but I used what I had!
Chill for a few hours or overnight and enjoy. I understand this will keep for at least a week with the butter seal, once you start it though, eat within 2-3 days. Which is not a problem in our house as every time I open the fridge I do a little taste test…
Chica Andaluza 
Both the kitchen and pate look great!
Thanks Rosemary. As of this evening I have a floor too!
That sounds delicious – I’ve just been inspecting the new look Carrefour in Barcelona and am craving pate, but I might go back to the Boqueria for foie gras…
There’s definitely a big difference in your kitchen!
One of our favourites and this sounds wonderful. Back on the menu for next week, lol. Glad to hear you are on the mend. Hope the kitchen will be mended soon too. Love from a cold and damp Scotland. xxxx
We’re getting there slowly both on the health front and the kitchen too! Love to you both x
Pate. One of my favourite foods. I’ve made heaps of different recipes so happy to try another one. Since I’m the only one who eats it in our family I’ve found that putting the pate in small containers and freezing it fits the bill for having it last. I’ve found the frozen pate, when thawed, is perfectly palatable (for me anyway) – and I don’t top it with butter. Which is good for the waistline but you miss the buttery taste if that is important for you.
So glad to hear you’re on the mend, Tanya.
Think about you daily.
Good plan re little portions and freezing. And I could definitely leave off the butter as I don’t spread it on the bread when I eat the path. Love to all xx
*smile* Oh, I SO grew up with this tho’ your recipe is a wee bit more sophisticated than mine!! And a heap healthier! Love chicken livers: my favourite recipe also comes from the Dark Ages: have you ever heard of a ‘horror film’ actor called Vincent Price? Probably the most intelligent guy, the best chef and cookery book writer ever – what he did with chicken livers, onion and apple made one almost swallow one’s tongue when eating too fast . . .
OK – mind not quite in gear after yelling at the TV screen during the ‘Third Debate’ just past – but did look up Amazon: have never seen a book with a 97% ‘love’ rating before and none below that . . . . perchance I am not the only one who would choose this book above any other should we have a fire in the house 🙂 !!
Think sales of this book may rocket!
Oh Eha, am chuckling as I remember a film which I think starred Vincent Price and he killed of theatre critics, one in a most gruesome way which I think involved poodles and path. Eeeeek!
The Management loves pate but I have never made him any from scratch. This may just be the recipe to make me try. (And I’m off to search for that Vincent Price cookery book. How could I not with that recommendation!)
It’s such an easy path to make and people are ever so impressed when you say it’s home made. It’s cheap and goes a long way too! And now I’m off to look at the book too 😀
Girlfriend, you have no idea how much I admire you!! You lose a gallbladder, then make yourself PATE! Respect! 😀 (And it looks delicious! Get well soon, dearheart!)
Made me smile! Thank you dear Celia. Am feeling almost, almost normal again…Whatever normal looks like 😀
Looks wonderful. My mother’s recipe is very similar but I’ve never added creme fraiche! Good luck with the kitchen – so exciting!
Can’t say I have ever got around to putting butter on the top of pate, it just won’t last that long in our home.
I admire your tenacity with getting into the non kitchen. 😀
Have a beautiful day Tania.
I have started counting sleeps! Can’t wait.
🙂 Mandy xo
Not long now!
Steve loves a good chook liver pate. I still have to work out which bit is the liver when we “euthanise” our roosters. All I know is that there is an awful lot of testicle to “rest of intestine” ratio. Now if you can come up with a “chicken testicle pate” recipe for me, I would be most grateful. Awaiting your response with eager anticipation…
Chicken testicle patė would need a very small bowl to put it into…a thimble perhaps!!
You obviously haven’t seen the innards of a free range rooster! Its no wonder they are daft. Most of their “brain” is contained within a massive pair of testicles 😉
when I make chicken liver pate, I cook all the odd bits along with the livers: kidney, lungs, testicles… it all gets pureed together anyway! I also make it with mushrooms, apples, and juniper berries…
Sounds yummy. That’s the beauty of paté!
Cheers for that Timothy. I often wondered if the testicles were edible. As they are the biggest organ in an adult rooster (which explains a lot 😉 ) it seems wasteful to throw them away.
Pinched it from the BBC website!
😂😂 a delicacy!
This sounds excellent!
Your kitchen is working wonders if you can make something as delicious as this. I never soak my livers by the way. I shall trying doing so to see if it makes a difference 🙂
To be honest it’s the first time I’ve soaked them and am not sure I’d bother again…couldn’t notice any great difference in flavour!
Sorry you’ve been ill, Tanya, but you’ll be mending nicely on that diet. 🙂 I’ve got the creme fraiche and some leeks? Hate grappling with raw liver and I’d have to cook it to death. Must be a veggie option in there somewhere, though I do like liver pan fried.
Now isn’t there a lovely recipe called, I think, something like Glamorgan sausages which is a creamy pate like mix of cheesecand leeks? Could be the one for you!
it looks delicious ^^
Sorry to hear that you had surgery, wishing you a speedy recovery. My husband would absolutely love your paté…it certainly wouldn’t last long. 🙂
I’ve heard of homemade paté but never looked into it, thinking too complicated, That you not only prepared this recipe, Tanya, but you did so while recuperating and with a kitchen in a state of flux. I think I’d be able to handle this. Sure hope so because it sounds delicious!
Continue to feel better and hope the kitchen is finished sooner rather than later. Good Luck! 🙂
Thanks John. The kitchen is pretty much finished but just need to do the finishing touches! Am almost back to full speed now and starting to enjoy cooking again 😀 Hope all is well with you.
That’s great news, Tanya! You’ll be back at 100% before you know it and in a new kitchen, to boot! All’s well here, enjoying these last few warm days. Have a great week!
its look delicious, i must try to make this. thank you for sharing the recipe chica
Great job! Love the recipe and your kitchen – you are unstoppable, Chica 🙂
Thanks Ginger. … lovely to see you!
seems really looks tasty, mistress Are you a chef?
No I’m not a chef but I love to cook!
even if you are not a chef but your cuisine looks very delicious
Wow..this is a really great list! How long did it take you to put it together. I bookmarked it for future reference.
thanks you very much much.
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