All, Appetizers, Recipes

Chicken Liver Pâté with Bourbon and Sage

By Casa de Suna

Published Dec 29

This rich and silky pâté is the perfect appetizer for entertaining and couldn’t be simpler to pull together.

Seek out chicken livers from a high-end butcher to make sure they’re as fresh and of the best quality as possible. When preparing the pâté, you want to make sure they’re just cooked through with just a bit of pink remaining at the center.

How to Make It

Difficulty: Easy

Overall Time: 1 hr 50 min

Prep Time: 25 min

Cook Time: 10 min + 1 hr 15 min cooling/chilling time

Serves: 6

Ingredients

½ lb (227 g) good-quality chicken livers
¾ cup whole milk
¾ cup plus 1 tbsp unsalted butter, divided, at room temperature
1 tsp kosher salt, divided
3 medium shallots, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tsp finely chopped sage, plus extra leaves to garnish
Freshly ground black pepper, plus extra to garnish
2 tbsp bourbon
Baguette slices or crostini, for serving

Instructions

Trim any connective tissue or discolored pieces from livers. Cut each in half where the lobes naturally separate. Transfer to a small bowl, then pour over milk. Cover with plastic and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Drain livers in a fine mesh sieve, then rinse well under very cold water. Set aside.
Melt ¼ cup butter in a large frying pan set over medium heat. Once foaming, add livers. Season with ¼ tsp salt. Cook, turning often, until livers are firm and just cooked through, about 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
To the same pan, add shallots, garlic, and sage. Season with ¼ tsp salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often, until soft, approximately 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in bourbon and cook until liquid has evaporated, 1 to 2 more minutes. Remove from heat. Let it cool completely to room temperature, about 15 minutes.
Transfer livers, along with any juices, and shallot mixture to the bowl of a food processor. Season with remaining ½ tsp salt. Process until fully combined, 30 seconds. With the motor running, add butter through the spout, 1 tbsp at a time. Continue processing, scraping down sides halfway through, until pâté is very smooth, about 2 minutes. Scrape into a serving bowl, smooth top.
Melt remaining 1 tbsp butter in a small saucepan, then immediately pour over pâté. Refrigerate until set, 1 hour. Garnish with additional black pepper and sage leaves or herbs before serving. Serve with baguette or crostini.