Christmas 2010 (Chicken Liver Pate with Wild Mushrooms)

Flambéed Chicken Livers with Cognac

This is another really simple recipe and can be made whenever and used at your leisure.  It was always tradition with my mother to make a pate for consumption in between Christmas and New Year once the leftovers from Christmas day have been consumed and you need something to go with the last of the Stilton.  Obviously this dish can be made and used whenever as, just like dogs, it's not just for Christmas.  

Whether you buy fresh or frozen chicken livers it makes very little difference. You will need the following:

Ingredients

450g (1lb) chicken livers

5 rashes of pancetta
4 shallots
50 g of dried wild mushrooms
50ml of Cognac
1 teaspoon chopped fresh Thyme
Seasoning
40g butter
(50g butter for the top of the pate)

Finely chop the shallots, thyme and the pancetta and fry with some of the butter until cooked through but avoid browning them.  While you are doing this take the dried mushrooms and rehydrate these in boiling water.  Remove the fried shallots etc.and place in a mixing bowl.  Add the chicken livers (check them before hand there are now large veins attached) and cook these, leaving some of the pinkness in the middle and add half the Cognac and flambé.

Add the chicken livers to the mixing bowl and blend until a smooth paste.  If you want a very smooth pate then you can push through a sieve but as we are adding mushrooms to this I didn't bother.  Take the now hydrated mushrooms and take out any excessive moisture (kitchen roll will do) and add to the pan and fry with some butter and add to the blended pate and the remainder of the Cognac.

Finished Pate

Pour out the pate into a bowl of your choice or separate Ramekin dishes should you prefer and cover the top of the pate with butter (this should be clarified as this will keep longer and won't go rancid) so that none of the pate is exposed to the air.

We devoured this in between Christmas and New Year but as I said this isn't a dish for Christmas, this is very much a dish for any season or occasion.  If you want to jazz it up you could try putting a Sauternes jelly on top and serve in slices as a starter for a dinner party...