I set aside the livers when I butchered a half dozen chickens the other day and decided to use them for pâté. Here is the recipe I developed. Talk about umami! It's quite good; a great introduction to chicken liver for the uninitiated. It works well with goose or rabbit livers as well.
Harvest Chicken Liver Pâté
3/4 pound (appox. 6) chicken livers, cleaned
4 tablespoons butter at room temperature, divided
2 slices bacon, diced
1 medium chopped onion
1 stalk celery chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 large tart apple, peeled, cored and chopped into 1/4 inch cubes
1 tablespoon rubbed sage,
1/2 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 cup bourbon
1/4 cup heavy cream (optional)
1 teaspoon salt
Pepper to taste
1/4 cup clarified butter, melted
Sliced baguette, crackers or mini toasts, for serving
To clean chicken livers remove tough, fiberous bits and any dark spots. Rinse well. Soak livers in milk for 24 hrs. Drain, rinse, and pat dry. (Soaking in milk is optional, but I do it to make the end result milder as I don't normally add cream.)
Sauté bacon in butter until crispy. Add onion, celery, and garlic. Sauté until tender. Add apple and livers. Cook until livers are firm but pink inside and apple softens. Add sage, allspice, and nutmeg. Cook one minute and transfer to bowl. Pour bourbon into pan to deglaze and reduce to 3 tbsp. transfer to bowl. Add a few grinds of pepper and salt. Add cream if using. (the cream makes for an easily spreading pate and softens the flavor a bit. I rarely use it preferring a more sturdy pate I can feel on the tooth.) Purée with stick blender.
Pack pâté into ramekins and top with clarified butter.
Chill at least overnight or up to 10 days.