Faux Gras ~ Chicken Liver Pate

I've been keepin' it French, lately, making a lot of chicken liver pate. Over the last few months, I've been a chef-consultant to a wine bar in Venice Beach, and have been 'turning out' terrines and little glass jars of pate, rillette and mousse, every week. It's my dream come to life: to be paid to whip butter, cream and flavorful meats with their own fats into rich, creamy spreads. To be smeared on warm toast, or baguette, and eaten with pickled onions, mustards, cornichons... tres jolie... I do believe there is a revival of this old classic.

Since foie gras fell from its famed perch, last year, chicken liver has become the penultimate substitute. When the California foie gras law went into effect, prohibiting the farming practice and sale of foie gras in California, chefs scrambled for the next best thing: chicken liver.

The foie law, as I like to call it, was passed in 2004 by the Governator, Arnold, ironically, someone who gets pretty 'pumped up' over a good slab of foie gras... The law granted an eight year period for farmers to develop healthy feeding practices, before it would be enacted. Unfortunately, the farmers have yet to develop the right technique for California's approval, and the law went into effect last July.

Hence the chicken liver revival! You can look at it as a desperate situation, or a 'thank god for classics'. I'm personally thanking the French.

And thankfully, chefs have been putting 'Julia's' classic recipe on menus from Los Angeles to Napa. In fact, my favorite happy hour, FIG, in Santa Monica, offers the most lovely, potted chicken liver parfait with fig jam, this side of France, mastered by Eric @ericsstash, of course.

So, "get to the choppa!", as Arnold would lamely say, and let's get this revival in full swing!

But please, don't share any with Arnold.

Chicken Liver 'Faux Gras' Pate

say that 5 times...

2# organic chicken livers

1# unsalted butter (soft)

a couple of shallots

a cup of chicken stock

a cup of white or red wine

fresh thyme and bay leaf

a splash of spirits: cognac, maidera, sherry, or my crazy concoction of vermouth and blackcurrant...

salt and white pepper to taste (make it taste good!)

Have fun...

plump and rosey, the livers are organic and from (as a friend of mine likes to say) Whole "Paycheck"...

you will need to trim the fat and sinew with a pair of kitchen shears, or with a knife and a cutting board...

this is what you want...

in a large pot, or skillet, add your sliced shallots, thyme and bay leaf...

add your plump livers...

pour in the wine and chicken stock, and poach for 12-15 minutes...

livers are high in iron, vitamins A and B12, and high in folate; promoting healthy eyes, hair and skin... don't listen to the nay sayers... our ancestors got us here... didn't they???

they also promote great wine pairings...

strain the cooking liquid, remove the herbs, and puree the livers and shallots in a food processor until relatively smooth...

and make a collar to secure your mixing bowl...

push though a fine meshed sieve...

i won't lie, it takes a long-ass time...

once finished, mix with the softened butter...

and season away!

this unusual combination happened by default, like most great things in life: you just can't plan it...

grease your beautiful French terrine...

and line with plastic film...

and grease the plastic film... you do not want a stuck pate...

fill your terrine and spread evenly... and chill over night... and turn out onto a long board or plate...

and with a sharp, thin knife... warm the blade in hot water... wipe dry... and in one careful motion... slice the terrine, steady, not to break it's delicate surface...

and serve with pickles, mustard, jam, salad vinaigrette... whatever stirs your fancy...

tres jolie...