Everybody in their own way imagines Sundays morning, for me, it is the smell of freshly baked bread with a fragrant homemade pate.
Liver pate is one of the delicious dishes I grew up with. My mother cooked it very often to me and my sister because that was the only way we were convinced to eat the liver.
The homemade liver pate recipe is one that you must have in your recipe notebook especially if you have fans of this dish in your family. The commercial pate is full of all kinds of “wonder ingredients”, some of them harmful to the human body in the long run. Saying the truth, I use to read very carefully the composition of every product I am buying. It was a surprise for me to find in poultry pate such ingredients like pork rind and pork fat. So, I decided to share with you my homemade authentic liver pate recipe. If you only knew how easy you can make it at home without any artificial flavors. You do not need any specialized equipment other than a hand blender or food processor.
The pate recipe is cheap and easy, and the paste obtained has a fine, creamy and good texture. It is excellent for breakfast, on sandwiches to go or as an appetizer for parties.
Pate is a rather high-calorie dish, which, meanwhile, with skillful and careful use, can bring considerable benefits to the person who consumes it. But at the same time, it is a fatty snack (sometimes the fat content exceeds 30%), therefore, you should be careful with it if you are prone to overweight or to atherosclerosis. Also, you should reduce the consumption of fat dishes if you are prone to diseases of the digestive and cardiovascular system. On the other hand, scientists have discovered that fat helps the immune system fight pathogens, which is especially important in winter and in the off-season. Perhaps that is why I crave to eat something similar to pate at this time of the year.
What is a pate made of?
Pate is a creamy paste, usually prepared from ground poultry, meat, fish (or seafood), mushrooms, beans or vegetables, seasoned with various herbs and spices. The basic ingredient in most recipes is the liver – a valuable byproduct, a rich source of vitamins A and B, and essential amino acids.
How do you clean the chicken liver before cooking?
Poultry liver is cheap but at the same time nutritious type of meat. To prevent your dish from getting the bitter taste it is very important to clean the liver correctly before cooking. It is a kind of gory process but it is essential. First, trim and discard the green parts, any visible fat, and membrane with a sharp knife. Then, especially if you are preparing smooth-textured pate, remove the connective tissue between the lobes of the liver.
Another important thing before cooking is to soak the livers in cold water or milk at least for one hour. This helps to remove impurities and the bitter taste, also, this softens the flavor and makes the liver tender.
How to make homemade liver pate?
Liver pate is a very simple and very practical homemade recipe. As a basic ingredient, you can use chicken, turkey, goose, pork, beef, veal or any other liver. If you desire, you can mix several types of liver to enrich the taste of the pate.
I prefer to use turkey or goose liver. Today I found in the nearby butcher shop qualitative turkey liver. Clean 18 oz of the liver from the membrane and fat. Then soak it in cold water (soak overnight in the fridge if possible).
The pate preparation technique is pretty simple, but there are small secrets when preparing it. I found that it tastes better when the liver is fried alone on high heat for a few minutes then added and mixed with other ingredients. And another trick is to add some smoked bacon. Believe me, its flavor will make things a lot more interesting.
So, let’s start! Finely chop 2 oz of smoked bacon and fry it on a dry skillet. When the bacon fat is melted, add ⅔ cup of chopped onion and few minced cloves of garlic. Stew the vegetables over low heat until translucent. Now pour in 3 tbs of cognac and stew for one more minute. Turn off the heat and set aside to rest and infuse all the aroma for about 10 minutes.
I use a good amount of onion because this gives sweetness to the pate without the need for other ingredients (I saw recipes with carrot or bell papers, and it didn’t sound good to me).
Meanwhile, in a separate skillet fry the liver over high heat. Before frying let the liver sit in a colander to drain well. Also, take care not to actually cook the turkey liver, because you can dry it out very easily. Just ensure it gets to the points when there is no pinkness and the extra liquid evaporates, then turn off the stove. Put aside to cool for a couple of minutes.
To turn all ingredients into a paste, I use a hand blender. Combine bacon mixture with precooked turkey liver in a bowl. Then add to this mixture 3 yolks, ⅓ cup of the heavy cream and ½ tsp salt. Blende everything very well, to get a fine paste, as you do with hummus recipe.
How to cook homemade liver pate?
Check the taste of the obtained paste for seasoning and adjust if necessary. To make sure you get a smooth pate, pass the paste through a sieve. Now divide the pate into small jars and seal tightly with lids.
Arrange the jars in a tray or saucepan and pour some boiling water almost to the lids. Send the pate to cook in a preheated oven at 275°F for 1 ½ hour. When the elapsed time, remove the jars from the oven and then from the water bath and leave them cool at room temperature. Then transfer it to a refrigerator to cool for 6-8 hours.
How to serve homemade liver pate?
You can serve homemade liver pate as a filling for preparation of delicious stuffed eggs or serve it spread on slices of fresh or crunchy toast. Top it with some drops of balsamic vinegar cream or caramelized onion.
How to store homemade liver pate?
The homemade liver pate can be stored in a hermetic closed jar/container in the fridge for up to 30 days.
Is liver pate keto-friendly?
Actually, the liver is a keto superfood. It a perfect source of protein. As for pate, it contains enough fat to be keto-friendly and is low in carbohydrates. With a slice of keto bread you can create the perfect snack and why not breakfast!
Tips:
- To enrich the flavor of your homemade liver pate adds your favorite spices.
- To protect the pate from oxidation, before sending it to the fridge put on top a layer of melted butter.
- Remove the pate from the fridge for about 20 minutes before serving, to soften it slightly.
Homemade liver pate
Equipment
- hand blender
- skillet
- jar
Ingredients
- 18 oz turkey liver
- 2 oz smoked bacon
- ⅔ cup chopped onion
- 2 garlic cloves
- 3 egg yolks
- 3 tbsp cognac
- ⅓ cup heavy cream
- ½ tsp salt
- 6 tbsp butter for toping
Instructions
- Clean 18 oz of the liver from the membrane and fat. Then soak it in cold water( if possible soak overnight in the fridge).
- Finely chop 2 oz of smoked bacon and fry it on a dry skillet. When the bacon fat is melted add ⅔ cup of chopped onion and few minced cloves of garlic. Stew the vegetables over low heat until translucent. Now pour in 3 tbs of cognac and stew for one more minute.
- Meanwhile, in a separate skillet over high heat fry the liver. Left aside to cool for a couple of minutes.
- In a bowl combine bacon mixture with precooked turkey liver. Then add to this mixture 3 yolks, ⅓ cup of the heavy cream and ½ tsp salt. Blender everything very well, to get a fine paste, as you do with hummus recipe.
- Taste obtained paste for seasoning and adjust if necessary. To make sure you get a smooth pate, pass the paste through a sieve. Now divide the pate into small jars and seal tightly with lids.
- Arrange the jars in a tray or saucepan and pour some boiling water almost to the lids. Send the pate to cook in a preheated oven at 275°F for 1 ½ hour. When the elapsed time, remove the jars from the oven and then from the water bath and leave them cool at room temperature. Then remove it to a refrigerator to cool for 6-8 hours.
- Serve homemade liver pate as a filling for preparation of delicious stuffed eggs or serve it spread on slices of fresh or crunchy toast. Top it with some drops of balsamic vinegar cream or caramelized onion.
