Chicken Pâté & Pickled Berries

Yield: 6-8

Author: Chef Celeste Pianezzola

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Chicken Pâté & Pickled Berries

Make this even easier by buying a quality pre-made chicken pâté and following my steps for making the pickled berry topping.

Ingredients

The Pâté

• 400g chicken livers (about 2 cups)
• 500-600ml cups whole milk
• Extra-virgin olive oil (for brushing)
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 150g tablespoons (10 tbsp) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2' cubes, divided
• 2 tablespoons minced shallot
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/8 teaspoon (or more) ground allspice
• 80ml bourbon or brandy
• 80ml heavy cream

The Pickled Blackberries

• 5 tbsp apple cider vinegar, divided
• 1 tbsp honey
• 170g pkg blackberries (frozen is fine, just defrost first)
• 1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
• crostini, crackers or toasted bread to serve
• greens such as beet greens or lambs lettuce to serve

Instructions

The Pâté

1. Combine livers and enough milk in a medium bowl so livers are submerged. Chill and soak to mellow their flavor for at least 1 hour or, covered, overnight.
2. Drain livers; discard milk. Using kitchen shears, trim any fat and veins from livers. Rinse, drain, and pat dry with paper towels.
3. Heat 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large sauté pan on medium heat and let the butter brown, about 3 to 5 minutes. Do not let it burn.
4. Add the shallots and livers and sauté for 1 minute. Add the livers. Be sure to space them well in the pan so they can brown more easily. Sprinkle salt over the livers. Flip the livers when one side browns, about 2 minutes.
5. Melt 2 Tbsp (30g) butter in a small skillet over medium heat (keep remaining butter chilled). Add shallot and thyme; cook, stirring often, until shallot is translucent, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Add bourbon (careful: Mixture may ignite). Return skillet to heat; cook, stirring often, until reduced to 3 Tbsp., 2-3 minutes.
6. Once the livers have browned, add the thyme, garlic, and ground allspice, and sauté another minute. Deglaze with bourbon or brandy, scraping the pan to remove any caramelized bits.
7. Transfer mixture to food processor with livers and add cream; purée until smooth, occasionally scraping down sides. With motor running, add remaining 8 Tbsp (120g) butter, 1 cube at a time; purée until smooth. Season with salt, pepper, and more allspice, if desired. The mixture will look a little loose, but it will firm up in the fridge.
8. Pack the pâté into ramekins or a small bowl, cover and refrigerate for at least an hour before using.
9. *The pâté will last a week or so in the fridge. If you want to preserve it for up to a month, pour a little melted lard or clarified butter on top to seal. Each time you dip into the pâté, you will need to reseal the top to preserve it.

The Pickled Blackberries

1. In a medium bowl or jam jar, combine 4 tbsp vinegar, the honey, ¼ cup water, and a pinch of salt, whisking until honey is dissolved. Microwave for 1 min until mixture is warm. Add the blackberries and onions to vinegar mixture and gently toss to coat. Let sit at least 15 min. *This can be made up to 5 days in advance.
2. Serve chicken pâté and pickled blackberries with crostini, crackers or toasted bread and small salad leaves such as beet greens or lambs lettuce.