First the Pa-tay

There are two types of eaters in this world: those who leave their favourite thing until last so that they can savour it slowly after they's got the broad beans out of the way, and those who eat the best thing first because they have absolutely no self-control. This latter type is the sort who may or may not have had an extra coke float (coke spider, for those Aussies out there) last night because the first one was gone so fast. Oink.

So I suppose the latter type would also be the sort of person who, when faced with a list of food-related things to write about in a given period of time would invariably write about the pate first.

Which...holy cow. I had no idea that making pate could be so damn easy. Sure it's a kind of a mawkish brown colour. Sure it smells kind of gross. But it tastes divine, and I somehow always assumed it involved unpronounceable ingredients and Hogwarts-style incantations while stirring slowly clockwise and adding an anticlockwise stir every seventh time. Only I bet they would say "widdershins" instead of "anticlockwise".

I am so pleased to say I was w-r-o-n-g.

I made this pate last Sunday. (Some people go to church. I go to the kitchen.) and most of it is gone already!

I went to 4 different shops to find chicken liver - given the frequency with which I had to avoid this stuff in my childhood, I would have presumed great quantities of it would have been lurking next to the Kraft Dinner and Ichiban noodles at every local 7-eleven! Not so. I finally found a nice big package at Happy-Lucky-97-Good-Luck-Long-Life-Double-Happiness-Fortune-Wealth-Market.

Here's what I did - this makes kind of a lot - about 4 250ml serves - so share it with your friends.

• 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 teaspoon ground sage (or a tablepoon fresh)
• 600 grams fresh chicken livers
• 1/3 cup grand marnier
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper
• 1 teaspoon sea salt (use less if your broth was salty)
• 2/3 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup butter, melted and clarified

Put the onions, broth, sage and liver together in a small pot. Heat until bubbling and cook, covered, stirring occasionally until the livers are cooked through.

Pour off the stock and transfer the liver and onions, grand marnier, butter, salt and pepper into a food processor or the bowl of your Kitchenaid (using the mixing paddle, not the whisk or the dough hook thingie) and process, slowly at first and then increasing speed gradually until smooth. The Kitchenaid will leave some small chunks of onion as compared to the food processor which should get everything quite velvetty.

Spread the mixture in a shallow container and pop it into the freezer to cool rapidly.

Meanwhile, whip the chilled cream into stiff peaks. Gently fold the chilled pate into the whipped cream. Spoon the pate into containers (I used 4 - 250ml jam canning jars, but wish I'd bought the smaller ones as they are easier to give to people and if you eat a whole one yourself you don't feel like such a pig). Rap the jars gently on the counter to release trapped air and top with enough melted butter to cover the pater by at least one millimetre. Place filled jars, wihtout lids, into the refrigerator to set for 4 hours. After that time, pop the lids on.

Stock up on nice crusty, grainy bread.

Anyone know where to get a kilo of duck or goose livers in Edmonton?

And because you darlings have all been so patient with me ( I promise I'll update my food blogging contest links soon!) here is a bonus photo of my darling fat little kitten, Fitzroy Possum Stanley-Maddocks, asleep on the printer as I'm typing. Awwwwww.

Comments

[Cin]

Fitzroy Possum Stanley-Maddocks is GORGEOUS!!! Please join the weekend cat blogging by sending your link to clare at Eat Stuff!

[Molly]

Oh MY. I absolutely love pate, or anything involving chicken livers, for that matter. Thanks for showing us how it's done, m'dear--that's a wonderful-sounding recipe!

[Don]

Have you tried Sunworks farms for livers? (certified organic too) If you can't make it out to Aremena, they're always at the Strathcona farmers market.

http://www.sunworksfarm.com/

Although they sell pate too. :)

[AugustusGloop]

You make it seem so easy and delicious. I love pate but have yet to make my own.

ps. I love the name of that Asian grocery. I think we have one here? lol