Very Basic Chicken Liver Pâté?

[Tartinet]

I hate throwing away the liver when I cook a whole chicken (I add the other giblets to stock). And I love a nice chicken liver pâté, but I never remember to plan ahead, so I don't have any specialty pate ingredients on hand, just a chilly, jiggly liver waiting for me to figure it out. One liver doesn't make a tremendous amount of pâté, so it would end up being a casual kitchen snack anyway-- for me and anyone who's helping.

So, what's the basic formula for liver pate? Butter, garlic, black pepper? Fry, then mash? What do you do with one lonely chicken liver?

[biondanonima]

Saute with a little onion until just cooked, then pop in a food processor with half as much butter as liver. Process till smooth, chill and eat. If you want a more mousse-like texture, fold in some unsweetened whipped cream before you chill it. You can flavor it with anything you like, from pepper to thyme to cognac. You can also freeze and wait until you have enough livers to make a respectably-sized batch!

[Chinon00]

Liver and capers in a food processor. Process lightly like a few jolts. Fry in pan w/ butter. Spread on toast points.

[Tartinet]

Sounds perfect. This, I will try next time!

[harryharry]

This is excellent - I can't remember if I'm allowed to post links to recipes or not.... so I guess this may be deleted -
It's by Mark Bittman from the NYT
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/30/din...

[Tartinet]

This sounds great-- minus most of the spice mixture and brandy, I just made this. Thank you!

[Bacardi1]

If you "love" a nice chicken liver pate, why not just buy a pound & make one? I don't know where you're located, but around here I can buy a pound of fresh chicken livers for less than $2.

[Tartinet]

I guess it's a combination of enjoying pâté, and not wanting to waste the liver that comes with the chicken-- my life is a little too harried at the moment for pâté-making to be its own independent agenda item! And I'm not sure anyone else in my family really likes it as much as I do-- so I think it's destined to stay a last minute cook's bonus, at least for now. But I'll keep it in mind ... Thanks for the tip.

[smtucker]

I throw each lonely liver into a bag with other lonely livers already in the freezer. When there is a whole party of formerly-lonely livers in the bag, I make myself a small terrine. For paté, I blend the raw livers with some pork fat and aromatics making a fine paste. Then it goes into a water bath until done.

I don't really have a recipe. I review other pate recipes just before making, and grab inspiration.

[sbp]

Very down and dirty; saute with a bit of chopped onion (optional). Don't overcook - just past pink. Salt, pepper, a bit of mayo. That will work with pantry items.

[fourunder]

Only one liver, I would boil or saute....then eat with a dip in soy sauce or sprinkled with salt.

Making a bunch....schmaltz and onions included to your list of ingredients.