I recently shared a post on the health benefits of liver, and I did promise I’d post a liver pate recipe.
Liver pate is a great way to eat liver, it’s super delicious and actually very good for you, at least in moderation, as while it includes lots of healthy fats, it’s still pretty caloric.
It is a classic example of fattening-but-healthy French food, and liver pate from France has gained a worldwide reputation for its decadent flavor.
And it’s really not too hard to make at home! I chose a very basic recipe that calls for ingredients you already have, nothing too fancy. It calls for beef liver, but you can use chicken if you like, just skip soaking it in meat. While many recipes you may come across call for cognac, this calls for a simple American bourbon, which I figured most people probably already have at home, but you can of course use the classic cognac as well.
So, get your wine and crackers ready, and let’s get started!
Ingredients:
- 2 lbs beef liver
- 3 cups whole milk
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3/4 cup butter
- 1 onion, minced
- 1 tbs thyme
- 1/2 cup bourbon
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup coconut oil
- salt & pepper
Directions:
- The night before you’d like to prepare the pate, (which should be two nights before you’d like to eat the pate, as after initial preparation it will have to set overnight in the fridge) soak the beef liver in the milk in the fridge, covered in milk.
- In the morning, drain the milk and discard.
- Rinse the liver with cool liver, and gently dry with paper towels.
- Preheat a skillet or grill, and then rub the liver with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Place the liver on the grill or in the hot skillet, and cook for about five minutes or so on each side, until it is nice and charred but still slightly pink on the inside.
- In a saucepan, melt the butter over low heat.
- When melted, add the onions and thyme, and cook until softened.
- When softened, add the bourbon carefully. It might ignite for a moment, so proceed onto this step at your own risk! It will most likely die down in a moment.
- Cook for a few minutes after reducing the heat slightly.
- Roughly chop the cooked liver, then add to a food processor with the butter mixture, as well as the rest of the ingredients.
- Puree until smooth.
- Pack the pate into jars and cover. Let sit in the fridge overnight.
The pate will keep for up to four days in the fridge, so I usually just put most of it in the freezer in small ramekins and take one out at a time to enjoy in small portions.
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