Chicken Liver Pâté with Spiced Pear Butter

Chicken Liver Pate with Spiced Pear Butter – Foodess.com

This is the last in the series of recipes I created for Bon Appetit in collaboration with Vitamix. I’d like to think I saved the best for last: luxurious, savoury chicken liver pâté accompanied by spiced pear butter on crisp brioche toasts, with a bit of snipped chive to garnish. It hits all the right salty-sweet, creamy-crunchy, rich-fresh spots. Such a wonderful, crowd-pleasing holiday appetizer. And it’s in the holiday issue of Bon Appetit that recently hit the stands!

The incredible super-creamy consistency is owing to my beautiful, brawny blender – the Vitamix Professional Series 750.  And as with all the previous recipes in this series, there is one up for grabs for you, too! All you have to do is share an instagram photo of something you made that was inspired by this recipe.  Hashtag it with #VitamixSweepstakes  before 11:59 PM on December 24, 2014 and cross your fingers! Link to full rules at end of post.

Pâté is something my hubby and I always order to share if it’s on the menu. And it’s surprisingly easy to make – finding chicken livers might be the hardest part. (I buy them at an Asian supermarket, where they’re always in stock).

The chicken is sauteed until golden along with shallots and thyme before being blended with white wine, heavy cream and butter (the cat’s out of the bag as to why it is so delicious, eh?).

I love to serve it casually just as pictured – with the pâté in a large, rustic jar and the pear butter in another, so guests can help themselves, but you can spread them on the toasts in advance if you wish.

The full contest rules here. And, once again, I remind you that your photograph will not be judged on how beautiful it is, nor will its subject be judged by how inventive or delicious it was. It’s simply a random draw from all eligible entries. So get in there! I can’t wait to see your submissions!

Chicken Liver Pâté with Spiced Pear Butter

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Servings 8 servings
Appetizer
American

Ingredients
  

FOR SPICED PEAR BUTTER

  • ¼ cup water
  • 1 ½ lbs unpeeled quartered ripe pears cores discarded (about 4 ½ cups)
  • 2 Tbsp. brown sugar packed
  • 1 tsp. lemon juice
  • ½ tsp. ground cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp. ground ginger
  • tsp. ground cloves
  • pinch of salt

CHICKEN LIVER Pâté

  • 3 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 lb. chicken livers
  • 3 shallots coarsely chopped
  • 1 Tbsp. fresh thyme leaves
  • ½ cup white wine
  • cup whipping cream
  • 8 Tbsp. cold unsalted butter
  • 1 ½ tsp. kosher salt
  • tsp. freshly ground black pepper
  • Toasted brioche or baguette slices for serving
  • Snipped chives for serving (optional)

Instructions
 

For Pear Buttter:

  • Place ingredients in Vitamix container in order listed and secure lid. Select Hot Soup program, switch machine to start and allow machine to complete programmed cycle.
  • Scrape mixture into a medium saucepan and simmer over medium-low heat for about 1 hour, stirring occasionally for first 40 minutes, and then frequently during the last 20 minutes as it thickens to avoid burning. Refrigerate pear butter until cool. Serve cold or at room temperature. DO AHEAD: Can be made up to 3 days ahead. Cover and keep chilled.

For Pate:

  • Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken livers, shallots and thyme; cook, stirring frequently, until livers are browned on all sides, about 5 minutes. Add white wine, reduce heat to medium, and continue cooking until wine is absorbed and livers are cooked through, about 5 minutes more.
  • Pour whipping cream into the Vitamix container, then add the chicken liver mixture along with butter, salt and pepper. Secure lid. Select machine Variable 1, switch machine to Start and slowly increase to Variable 10; blend for 45 seconds. Transfer pâté to serving bowl or glass jar and press plastic wrap directly onto the surface to avoid discoloration. Refrigerate at least 4 hours before serving. DO AHEAD: Can be made up to 1 day ahead. Cover and keep chilled. Serve pâté with toasted brioche, pear butter and snipped chives.

Last Updated on December 3, 2014 by Jennifer Pallian BSc, RD

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