Pate for the taking?

True story, circa 2004.

There once were two sisters that lived together, in a tiny white brick apartment on Clark Ave.  And in their kitchen, on the counter, lay a tiny food processor.  You could quite possibly hold it in the palm of your hand, and it was with that little machine, that a great disaster occurred.

There is a first time for everything, and usually with that comes a story.  I have a story of desire, disgust, and determination, and it all ended in pate.

With that tiny food processor, I pureed chicken livers, and cream, and spices.  Like a horror movie, but instead of blood, it was a milky pink holy mess all over me and the kitchen. Tessa, my sister, was there to witness it all. I collected myself, wiped away the evidence, and into the oven went my first pate. It turned out alright, I was even proud. And the liver was not to blame, I was the guilty one. Lesson learned, do not overfill a tiny food processor, especially with something that makes you a little queasy to begin with.

Brave eating is an admirable quality, and it takes "guts".  I have to say I wasn't introduced to organ meats here in NC, not saying anything about our eaters, but it was in San Francisco, were I lived for a short time, that I sat down at a restaurant to a plate of Rocky Mountain Oysters.  I was warned they were not oysters, but bull testicles, and I ever so hesitantly took a bite.

Since then, I continue to play for team Offal, team organ meat. I have had the daring adventures of making tripe, cow stomach lining bought from Cliff's Meat Market, in Carrboro, eating delicious sweet breads, the thymus gland of calves, at Fraziers, in Raleigh, and livers galore.

Liver, I found to be, surprisingly good for me. Like coconut, it is on my list of foods with unacknowledged health benefits, and I dare you to discover them by clicking here. Also, a few years ago I read the book, Eat right for Your Type, and liver was on the top of my list for optimal health! So, time and time again, I bring myself to eat it. But the most palatable way I have found to get it in my diet, is through pate.

 Pate I love and pate I make. 

This week it made my "to do" list.  It was made with a much bigger food processor, and myself and the walls, remained unsplattered.  I have eaten it for days and tried to share it along the way. Be brave my friends, be brave. I wouldn't share a recipe, if I didn't believe in you. 

Take the adventure. I dare you. (There is apple and butternut squash involved, that doesn't sound so bad does it...)

Creamy Chicken Liver Pate

(adapted from Mark Bittman's recipe and blog, Bitten

I apologize, for there are no pictures of the process. I was on the phone with my Dad the whole time, and my phone is my camera. So you will just have to make it for yourself to see how it unfolds!

Ingredients:

1 Pink Lady apple, diced into very small cubes

1/4 butternut squash, diced into very small cubes

1 T. olive oil

1/4 t. salt and sprinkles of pepper

10-15 peppercorns

2 allspice berries
1 clove
4 coriander seeds
1/2 cup butter
1 onion, chopped
1 T. dried sage
1 pound chicken livers
Salt
1/3 cup cream
1 to 2 tablespoons brandy
Bread or crackers for serving.

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Toss apple and butternut squash cubes in bowl with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast in oven, on baking pan lined with parchment paper for 30 minutes. Allow to cool.


2. In a spice grinder or clean coffee grinder, combine peppercorns, allspice, clove and coriander seeds; grind until fine and set aside.

3. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a skillet over medium-high heat; when foam subsides, add onion and sage, and cook until softened, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add livers to pan and sprinkle with salt; cook livers on one side until they begin to brown, about 2 minutes, then flip them and cook the other side. Be sure to keep heat relatively high so that the outside of livers sears and inside stays pink.

4. Put onion, livers and their buttery juices, and apple and butternut squash, into a food processor or blender with remaining butter, the cream, spices and brandy. Purée mixture until it is smooth; taste and adjust seasoning.

5. Put pâté in a terrine or bowl, smooth top and put in refrigerator for 2 to 3 hours or until fully set. Serve pâté with bread or crackers.