This classic chicken liver pâté recipe is easy to make. Its mild flavor and silky, smooth texture make it a great recipe for an elegant, luxurious dinner party.

What is it?

Pâté is a smooth, savory paste typically made with liver and other organ meats, butter, herbs, and shallots (or onions). It's a classic French dish with a luxurious edge. It's also easy to make at home. 

Key Ingredients

The foundation of a good pâte recipe is high-quality liver. Chicken and duck liver are the mildest and the best-tasting. In addition to liver, you'll need plenty of fat. Most recipes call for butter (perhaps with a little heavy cream), but some call for bacon, chicken, or duck fat. Fat helps to emulsify the pâté, giving it a smooth texture and rich flavor. Shallots (or onions), herbs, and alcohol give the pâté flavor and balance the intensity of organ meats.

• Chicken livers are the foundation of this recipe. Compared to pork or beef liver, chicken livers have a mild flavor. They're also nutrient-dense and rich in folate, choline, selenium, and vitamin A. 
• Butter and ghee lend a creaminess to pâté. They improve the flavor and the texture of the final dish. 
• Shallots are a member of the onion (allium) family, and they have a beautiful oniony flavor that balances the flavor of liver. If you can't find shallots, thinly sliced yellow onions also work in this recipe.
• Sage lends a little brightness to the pâté. Its herby notes help to enliven the pâté, helping to cut its heavy flavor.
• Milk is used for soaking the chicken livers. Soaking liver and other organ meats is a traditional technique known as "clearing the blood." It improves their flavor, softening the liver's more assertive notes and making it palatable.
• Sherry helps give the pâté flavor. It lends the dish a rich, complex flavor and a note of much-needed acidity. Plus, it's a natural match for fresh sage. A little brandy will work if you don't have sherry.

Tips for Making Pâté

• Use high-quality chicken livers from pasture-raised or free-range chickens. They will be more nutrient-dense, have a richer color and better flavor.
• Trim your chicken livers well, removing all sinew and any connective tissues. If left on, those little bits of connective tissue can give your pâté an unpleasant texture.
• Cook the liver until just done and not a minute over, or your pâté may become gritty.
• For a smooth pâté, slowly add the butter to the food processor, about one tablespoon at a time. This will encourage the pâté to emulsify, producing a smooth texture.
• Purée it in a food processor or in a high-speed blender until completely uniform and smooth.
• Running the pâté through a China cap strainer will produce an ultra-smooth, silky texture.
• Sealing the top of the pate with clarified butter (or ghee) gives it a beautiful appearance and helps it last longer in the fridge.
•  It's best to serve pâté at room temperature, as its plentiful fat will harden when cold.

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Chicken Liver Pâté Recipe

Delicious spread over toasted sourdough bread, this easy chicken liver pâté has a mild flavor and silky texture.

Course Appetizer, Side Dish

Cuisine American, French

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Soaking livers 6 hours hours

Total Time 6 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

Servings 12 servings

Calories 129kcal

Author Jenny

Equipment

• medium mixing bowl
• 10-inch skillet
• food processor

Ingredients

For the Chicken Livers

• 8 ounces chicken livers (trimmed of any sinew or connective tissue)
• milk (to cover the livers)

For the Pâté

• 12 tablespoons softened butter (divided)
• 2 large shallots (sliced thin)
• ½ cup water
• ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
• 2 tablespoons sherry

To Finish the Pâté

• Sage leaves (for garnish)
• ghee (melted, for sealing the jars)

Instructions

The night before.

• Dump the chicken livers into a bowl, then cover with milk. Cover the bowl, and then transfer it to the fridge. Allow the livers to soak for at least 6 and up to 12 hours. Then, drain them in a colander, discarding the milk.

Preparing the pâté

• Warm 2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium heat, then stir in the shallots and sage. Sauté them in the oil until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Then, add the reserved livers and pour in the water. Sprinkle with salt, and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat until tender and barely cooked through. Turn off the heat, and let the livers cool at room temperature for about 10 minutes.
• Transfer the cooked livers and shallots to a food processor. Pour in the sherry. Process the livers, adding a tablespoon of butter to the feeding tube at a time, until all the butter is incorporated and the pâté is uniformly smooth.

To finish the pâté

• Spoon the pâté into individual ramekins or small jars, allowing ½ inch of head space. Arrange a sage leaf over the pâté, and then pour a thin layer of ghee or clarified butter over the pâté, until completely covered. Transfer to the fridge and chill until the ghee solidifies.
• Allow the pâté to come to room temperature before serving.

Nutrition

Calories: 129kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 95mg | Sodium: 153mg | Potassium: 67mg | Fiber: 0.2g | Sugar: 0.4g | Vitamin A: 2444IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 14mg | Iron: 2mg

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The post Sage and Chicken Liver Pâté appeared first on Nourished Kitchen.

This is an adaptation of my grandmother's recipe for duck blood soup or czarnina (pronounced cha-NEE-na or char-NEE-na, the R is very soft). My grandmother's parents on my dad's side of the family emigrated from Poland in the early 1900's, but my grandmother did not teach her children to speak Polish and served them American food as children. Fortunately, she did not abandon every tradition from the old country, and so I grew up with stories of Busia's (Polish for grandmother, her mother, my great-grandmother) duck blood soup that was served during the holidays. It sounded exotic and delicious if a little bit strange.

Several years ago I became interested in traditional Polish cooking and asked my grandmother to share her recipe. She not only shared her recipe with me, but she also sent me a cookbook full of traditional Polish recipes. The adaptation that follows is traditional, nourishing, energizing, and thoroughly delicious. If your dinner guests are dubious about blood, just tell them it's gravy soup. This meal is often served on Christmas Eve. It also makes a wonderful Sunday dinner in the fall.

Duck blood is an essential ingredient in this soup. It imparts a unique rich flavor and is loaded with vitamins and iron. I decided to raise my own Muscovy ducks in order to be able to prepare this recipe. If you can't get your hands on a live duck, you can sometimes get fresh blood from a local butcher or farmer, or you can special order it. I know some of my relatives have duck blood express shipped from Milwaukee, where there is a large population of Polish-Americans. Trust me, it is worth the trouble.

The blood and vinegar mixture described below can be frozen until needed. Try to use plastic or glass when handling or storing the mixture and wash any kitchen implements in cold water. If hot water is used, blood will coagulate on your utensils (particularly strainers) and will become impossible to clean off. Once the blood is in the soup, this precaution is no longer necessary.

Therese's Czarnina

Buy a live duck. We got the ducks at a shop about a mile from our home.  At about age 9, it was my duty to go on Saturday morning and get a duck for Busia. The butcher would tie the beak, and wrap the duck with brown paper and a string.  I always feared that the duck would get loose, and hurried that long mile home. To obtain the blood for soup, you must tuck the bill toward the chest, and pluck the feathers off the top of its head.  Using a very sharp knife, cut through the top of the head, and drain the blood into a bowl with about ⅓ to ½ cup of vinegar. This will prevent clotting. Strain and chill. Dress the duck and allow the bird to rest in the fridge overnight to 4 days (depending on the age of the bird). This will make the meat less chewy.

Make sure to save the gizzard, liver, heart, feet, and neck for making stock. Peel the feet and remove the talons before adding to the stock. Save excess fat from the carcass for later processing. It is not necessary to leave the skin on the bird. Prepare a stock and use to make the soup. My Dad always wanted potato dumplings in his czarnina. I also liked it instead of noodles. As early as 8 years of age, I learned how to make the dumplings right after the church service on Sundays so I could have them with my Dad. Everyone else got noodles.

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Czarnina (Polish Duck Blood Soup)

Czarnina is a rich soup dotted with dried fruit. Its flavor is faintly sweet and sour with light, and delicate mineral-rich notes.

Course Main Course, Soup

Cuisine Polish

Keyword duck, offal, spices

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 5 hours hours

Servings 8 servings

Calories 577kcal

Author Becca Bober

Ingredients

For the Stock

• 1 duck
• 3 ribs celery
• 1 medium yellow onion ends removed, and any dirt brushed off
• 6 allspice berries
• 8 whole cloves
• ½ bunch fresh parsley

For the Soup

• 2 tablespoons duck fat
• Reserved duck breasts
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon dried marjoram or 1 tablespoon fresh
• 10 prunes
• 20 dried cherries
• 1 cup dried apple rings
• 1 red bell pepper cored, seeded and coarsely chopped
• Blood from 1 duck in vinegar about ½ cup
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose einkorn flour
• 1 teaspoon unrefined cane sugar
• 1 cup heavy cream
• ½ bunch fresh parsley minced

To Serve

• Homemade Egg Noodles
• Potato Dumplings
• flat-leaf parsley
• milk kefir

Instructions

To Prepare the Stock

• Carefully remove the breasts from the duck, and place them in an airtight container in the refrigerator while you prepare the stock. Prepare the stock by covering the carcass in water and simmering for 1 ½ to 2 hours, or until the meat is tender.
• Lift the carcass from the broth, allow it to cool until comfortable to handle and then remove meat from bones, and chop it finely. Reserve cooked meat to add to soup. Return bones to broth, and add gizzard, liver, heart, feet, neck, celery ends, onion, allspice berries, whole cloves, and the parsley. Simmer gently until stock has desired consistency and flavor, 2-6 hours. When stock is finished, strain, and skim off excess fat and reserve it. Note that if you've prepared the stock from a Muscovy duck, it will not produce significant amounts of fat and may not need to be skimmed.

To Prepare the Czarnina

• When your stock is ready, cut the reserved duck breasts into bite-sized cubes, season with salt and pepper. Melt the reserved duck fat in a heavy stock pot over medium heat. Brown the duck breasts in the hot fat, about 3 minutes.
• After the meat is brown, add duck stock, bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium low, and simmer gently until breast meat is tender, 20 to 30 minutes. Add ground allspice, cloves, marjoram, chopped peppers, and dried fruit and cook gently for another 20 minutes. After fruit has softened, chop remaining cooked duck meat and add it to the soup.
• Blend flour and sugar with ½ cup of the duck blood in vinegar. Stir in 3 tablespoons of broth from the hot soup into the mix of flour, sugar and duck blood to temper it. Pout the mixture slowly into soup, stirring continuously in a thin stream. Pouring too quickly results in lumps. Stir in the cream, and season with additional salt and pepper, to taste. Just prior to serving, stir in some minced parsley. Serve with homemade egg noodles or potato dumplings.

Notes

Recipe variations: For a more substantial meal, you can add more dried fruit. For an appetizer, you can reduce the fruit slightly and add less cream. If you prefer, you can save the liver to add to the soup instead of cooking it in the stock. You may substitute raisins in place of the cherries for a slightly sweeter soup. If you are lucky enough to have a goose for roasting, you can substitute goose blood and leftover meat from your roast and make the stock from the cleaned bones.

Nutrition

Calories: 577kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 40g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Cholesterol: 75mg | Sodium: 245mg | Potassium: 5309mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 880IU | Vitamin C: 23.6mg | Calcium: 32mg | Iron: 3.9mg

The post Czarnina (Duck Blood Soup) appeared first on Nourished Kitchen.

Potatoes with bacon and liver is my sneaky solution to ensuring my family consumed adequate amount of this nutrient-dense, old-fashioned staple.  Yes, I still love my Chicken Liver Pate, and my son consistently asks for Fried Chicken Livers, but, beyond these tried-and-true staples, I still struggle with putting liver on the plate regularly as I ought to.

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Potatoes with Bacon and Liver Recipe

Hearty and rustic, this recipe for Potatoes with Bacon and Liver is simple to prepare, and the typically assertive flavor of liver fades into the background.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword liver, offal, potatoes

Cook Time 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Servings 4 servings

Ingredients

• 2 pounds Russet potatoes
• 1 teaspoon salted butter
• 2 ounces bacon finely chopped
• 2 ounces frozen beef liver finely grated
• 2 ounces shredded cheddar cheese
• 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley

Instructions

• Place the potatoes in a large stock pot, cover them with water and boil them in their jackets until tender - about an hour. Drain off the water, allow the potatoes to cool until they're comfortable enough to handle, then peel them and cut them into ½-inch cubes.
• Heat the oven to 375 F.
• Melt the lard in a wide oven-proof skillet, then toss in the bacon. Render the bacon in the hot fat until it becomes crispy. Turn off the heat of the stove, add the potatoes to the pan, taking care to evenly distribute the rendered bacon among them. Stir in the finely grated liver, and the cheese.
• Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake it for 25 to 30 minutes. Sprinkle with fresh parsley, and serve.

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Sweet Marrow Custard with Vanilla Bean

This sweet custard is seasoned with vanilla and served with fresh fruit, but it's creaminess comes from marrow - a potent source of healthy fats and fat-soluble vitamins. Ask for marrow bones at your local butcher shop or talk to your local rancher.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes minutes

Total Time 55 minutes minutes

Author Jenny

Ingredients

• 2 pounds beef marrow bones (or ¼ cup marrow)
• ¾ cup whole milk (or coconut milk)
• 3 eggs
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons honey
• ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
• salted butter coconut oil or lard, (for greasing the ramekins)
• fresh fruit (to serve)

Instructions

• Bring marrow bones to a boil and let simmer for 10 minutes. While you're waiting on the marrow preheat oven to 350°F and place four ramekins in large roasting pan.
• In large bowl, whisk together egg yolks, egg, milk/coconut milk, vanilla, honey and salt.
• When the marrow is ready, scoop the bones out with a slotted spoon and place in a bowl to drain. After they've cooled a bit use a butter knife to extract the marrow. Place it in a small bowl. Set aside for a minute while you pour the egg mixture into the blender or get out an immersion blender.
• Spoon marrow - but not the oil that has collected at the bottom of the bowl - into the mixture and blend until smooth.
• Pour custard mixture into cups, dividing equally.
• Pour enough hot water into roasting pan to come halfway up sides of cups. Bake until custards are set in center, about 30-35 minutes. Remove from water and allow to cool for a few minutes before serving. Top with fruit, if desired.

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Fried Chicken Liver Recipe

Savory and pleasantly spiced by bright green chili peppers, these fried chicken livers are best served alongside a gravy made from mineral-rich chicken stock. My son, just four, can eat an entire plate by himself. I served these once, as snack, and he begged his friends to try them - telling them, "You have to eat the whole chicken: livers, feet and all." It is good for you, so enjoy.

Course Appetizer

Cuisine American

Prep Time 12 hours hours

Cook Time 7 minutes minutes

Total Time 12 hours hours 7 minutes minutes

Author Jenny

Ingredients

• 1 quart whole milk
• 1 pound chicken livers (trimmed and rinse of any sinew)
• lard (for frying)
• 1 cup all-purpose einkorn flour (preferably sprouted)
• 1 1 New Mexico Chili pepper (seeded and minced)
• 1 clove garlic (minced)
• fine sea salt

Instructions

• Pour one quart fresh milk over one pound trimmed chicken livers.
• Move the chicken livers and fresh milk to the refrigerator and soak them for eight to twelve hours.
• After soaking livers in milk for at least eight hours, drain and rinse them.
• Chop them into bite-sized pieces as necessary and set aside.
• Heat lard or tallow in a cast iron skillet over medium heat.
• Stir flour, chili pepper, garlic and unrefined sea salt together in a bowl.
• Dredge chicken livers in the flour mixture.
• Gently fry the floured chicken livers in the hot fat until brown and cooked-through, about six or seven minutes. Turn as neccessary.
• Serve hot.

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Chicken feet - gnarly, repulsive and disturbing - make for the very best stock. Devoid of little else but tendons, bone and cartilage (sound appetizing yet?), chicken feet produce a fine golden broth that's rich in all those obscure nutrients that make a good stock so nourishing: glucosamine chondroitin, collagen and trace minerals.   Moreover, a chicken stock is an excellent source of calcium without .   Understandably, a stock made from chicken feet gels beautifully just as a good stock should.

Saturday morning, I pulled out a bag of chicken feet and as I peeled the yellow membrane from the feet and hacked away the talons, I couldn't help but reflect upon my relationship with food.   Dear God, I thought, I was a vegan once!  I used to gag at opening a package of lunch meat, and now I can peel and hack my way through a bag of chicken feet with nary an ill feeling   That is until my 4-year old tapped me on a shoulder with a disembodied claw.   Eeeew! Then there was that time when I accidentally left a bag full of chicken feet fresh from the farmers market in the fridge at the office.

Chicken feet can be difficult to find - that is, until you know where to look.   They don't come packaged on little Styrofoam trays, wrapped in plastic. Ethnic markets - those last bastions of traditional foods - often carry chicken feet, heads and other miscellaneous parts that are forgotten in conventional cooking.   Farmers markets can be another source.   Most importantly, your local farm offering pastured poultry may also have a stash from the latest harvest.   If purchasing your chicken feet at a market, they will usually run you $1 - $2 per pound; however, if you purchase your whole chickens farmer-direct they will often throw the chicken feet in the bag at your request.   These chicken feet came from a local, family-run farm that also specializes in grass-fed lamb.

Preparing Chicken Feet for the Stock Pot

In many cases, the chicken feet will arrive already prepared, more or less; however, if you receive them directly from your local farm you may need to dress the chicken feet yourself.   This is easy.   First, you'll rub them with salt and scald them briefly in boiling water followed by an icy bath.   This practice enables you to more easily peel the yellow membrane on the foot.   After peeling the yellow membrane from the feet, chop the talons off at the first knuckle.   Some cooks prefer to leave the talon on the foot. In the above picture, you'll see chicken feet in the three stages of preparation: 1. fresh, 2. peeled and 3. declawed.When blanching the chicken feet, take great care not to blanch the feet too long or you will overcook the feet, fusing the yellow membrane to the foot and activating the gelling process. Moreover, overcooking will also cause the tendons in the feet to contract, making peeling virtually impossible. Be brief.

Once the feet are fully prepared by cleaning, blanching, peeling and talon removal, they're ready for the stock pot.   A stock prepared from chicken feet, like any stock, is widely variable and can be seasoned based on your personal preference.   Preferring a mild-tasting broth in most recipes, I usually season my broth with vegetable scraps including celery leaves, onion and carrot peelings; however, from time to time, I like to change the flavor of the stock a touch and heat it up with chilies, ginger and other spices.   The stock recipe detailed below is very well-suited to Asian-inspired dishes and perfect for cold and flu season when a nourishing, mineral-rich broth infused with chilies and spice can help clear the sinuses.

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Chicken Foot Stock

Prepared from chicken feet and no other bones or meat, this stock produces a solid gel. One pound of feet will produce approximately 2 quarts of well-gelled stock. Its aroma is faintly reminiscent of Top Ramen, no joke. Even if you prefer to season your stock with a mild combination of onion, celery and carrot or herbs of your choice, follow the same method as outlined below.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword broth, chilies, garlic

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 4 hours hours

Total Time 4 hours hours 10 minutes minutes

Servings 8 cups (2 quarts)

Calories 17kcal

Author Jenny

Ingredients

• 1 lb chicken feet trimmed
• 2 tablespoons chopped ginger
• 1 star anise pods
• 3 medium jalapenos chopped
• 6 cloves garlic smashed

Instructions

• Add all ingredients to your stock pot, and add enough water to cover by 2 inches. Bring to a boil over high heat, and then turn down the heat to medium-low and simmer at least 4 and up to 12 hours. Skim any foam that floats to the top of the broth as it simmers.
• Strain the broth, and serve it right away or pour it into jars and store it in the fridge up to 1 week.

Nutrition

Calories: 17kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 941mg | Potassium: 22mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 555IU | Vitamin C: 6.9mg | Calcium: 4mg | Iron: 0.1mg

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