The rule number one with any kind of Pâté is the quality. I offer the basic and very natural Pâté, served on a baked garlic bread with my special onion chutney and cornichons. This one is a winner for any impressive occasions like holiday gatherings with your family or New Year’s Eve with friends – Festive Pâté with Onion Chutney. Easy and luxurious!
Total Time: 1 hour + few hours of chilling the Pâté in fridge
Shopping List
The Pâté:
100g + 50g of top quality lard (I used very seasonal duck fat, but any quality pork or goose will do)
A good splash of whiskey
300g of chicken livers, washed and cleaned
Few branches of fresh thyme
Few leaves of fresh sageThe Onion Chutney:
A splash of olive oil
2 large red onions, peeled and finely chopped
1 cup of full-flavoured red wine
2 heaped tablespoons of cranberry marmalade
A pinch of cayenne and black pepper, sea salt
Fresh bread/crackers, garlic and cornichons to serve with
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.
The Pâté
Melt around 100g of lard in a small baking tray.
A splash of whiskey in.
Gently place the livers in the liquid and nicely soak them in.
Finish with thyme and sage and bake in the oven for about 40 minutes.
The Onion Chutney
In a small frying pan heat up some olive oil on high heat. Add the onions and sauté for about 2 minutes.
Baste with wine and reduce.
Lower the heat to low and baste with 1 cup of hot boiling water. Let it simmer for about 30 minutes until it softens.
Next, increase the heat to medium and stir in the marmalade. Let it thicken for about 1 minute and flavour it up with cayenne pepper, black pepper and sea salt. Taste and season accordingly. Done.
Mold it into a clean glass jar and let it cool down entirely.
Presentation
Once the livers are done to perfection, taste. Place it in 2 parts into a hand blender. 1st part in and blend.
Then, stir in the 2nd part and blend until very smooth texture.
Use everything: livers, the liquids and herbs (without the thyme branches). Taste.
Mold the whole mixture into a large glass jar. Let it sit for a bit in a cold place.
Bring the rest of the lard into a room temperature and pour it over the top of The Pâté.
Refrigerate until it gets nicely thick and the flavour comes within. I didn’t add any additional salt as it taste pure the best and chutney gives it something above.
Serving Time
Bake the bread in a clean frying pan on medium heat, 2 minutes from each side. Sprinkle with olive oil for the extra taste.
Next, brush the baked breads with a good amount of fresh garlic. Layer with good amount of the Pâté and 1 teaspoon of My Onion Chutney. Serve with cornichons and full-flavoured red wine or a cold lager. Enjoy!
Makes 1 large jar of The Pâté and 1 small jar of onion chutney.
