Mama Elsas Chicken Liver Spread Recipes

ELSA'S WARM CHICKEN LIVER SPREAD WITH THE WORKS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• In a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add onions and sweat them 15 minutes; - do not let brown. Once the onions are sweet and tender, add livers and raise heat just a bit. Cook until livers are firm and cooked through, another 5 to 6 minutes.
• While livers cook, place bread on a cookie sheet and bake in oven to dry out and toast, 5 to 6 minutes. Cut toasted bread slices corner to corner. Pile toast triangles into a bread basket.
• Combine salt, pepper and thyme and sprinkle over the livers and onions. Place mixture in food processor in batches and grind into smooth spread. Transfer to a serving bowl.
• Fill ramekins or other small dishes with cornichons, shallots, mustard, and capers and arrange around the warm spread and toast basket.

CHICKEN-LIVER PâTé

Steps:

• Put a large, heavy sauté pan over medium heat, and melt 4 tablespoons of the butter until it begins to foam. Add the shallots, and sauté them until translucent, being careful not to allow them to brown. Add the livers, thyme and Madeira or port, and bring the heat to high. Cook, occasionally stirring the livers around in the pan with a spoon, until the wine has reduced and the livers are lightly browned but still very soft and pink on the inside, approximately 5 minutes.
• Remove the pan from the stove, and put its contents into a blender or food processor, along with the cream and the remaining butter. Purée until smooth, adding a little more cream if necessary. Taste and adjust seasoning, adding salt if necessary.
• Pack the pâté into a glass jar or bowl, then smooth the top with a spatula. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, about two hours or up to five days. Serve with bacon-onion jam and copious amounts of toast.

CHICKEN LIVER PATE

Steps:

• Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in garlic, onion and chicken livers. Reduce heat to low, and simmer approximately 10 minutes, until chicken livers are tender and no longer pink.
• Place chicken liver mixture in a blender with dry sherry, cream cheese, hot sauce, salt and pepper. Blend until smooth. Transfer to a medium bowl, cover and chill in the refrigerator approximately 2 hours before serving.

CHICKEN LIVER AND EGG SPREAD

Steps:

• Grill the chicken livers, let them cool, trim and cut in chunks.
• Process in the food processor, pulsing until finely chopped, transfer to a mixing bowl.
• Now do the same with the onion, add to the liver.
• The same again for the eggs, or do them by hand because you don't want them too fine.
• Add also to the liver mixture.
• Add the chicken fat and blend well, season with salt and pepper.
• Chill before serving.

CHICKEN LIVER SPREAD

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan, combine 1 1/2 cups water with the chicken livers, onion, and poultry seasoning. Simmer for 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and allow the livers to cool in the liquid.
• When the livers are cool, drain well. Put the livers, butter, bacon, mustard, salt, and pepper in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until the mixture is smooth, adding the chicken broth as needed to make a smooth thick paste.
• Line a 2-cup bowl with plastic wrap and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Arrange the pickle slices and pimientos in a mosaic or other decorative pattern in the bowl. Spoon the liver mixture over the pickles. Press lightly and tap several times on the counter to knock out any air bubbles. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
• To unmold, dip the bowl in hot water for a minute and invert onto the serving platter; discard the plastic wrap. Serve with the baguette slices.
• Lucky for me I'm married to an artisan baker. Not only does he smell like a warm, freshly baked loaf of bread much of the time, but he also makes me baguettes. When I ask nicely, he will make them with wild rice cooked in chicken broth to serve alongside this beautiful spread.
• Bread and butter pickles let the rich iron flavor of the livers come through, whereas small dills can cover up their flavor.

CHICKEN LIVER SPREAD

Steps:

• In 10-inch skillet melt butter; add chicken livers and garlic.
• Cook over medium high heat, stirring occasionally, until liver is fork tender (6 to 8 minutes).
• Stir in remaining spread ingredients.
• Continue cooking until heated through (1 to 2 minutes).
• Spoon into blender container or food processor.
• Blend or process until smooth.
• Press liver mixture into greased 2 cup mold or soup bowl.
• Chill until firm (1 to 2 hours).
• In small bowl, stir together all frosting ingredients.
• Unmold liver spread onto a serving plate.
• Frost liver spread, decorating if desired.

CHOPPED CHICKEN LIVER SPREAD

Steps:

• Saute the livers in half the fat until they are no longer pink inside, about 5 minutes.
• Remove from the pan and add the onion and the remaining fat.
• Saute the onion until golden.
• Grind the liver-onion mixture and the eggs using a coarse blade on your grinder.
• Add the crispy fried skin and tiny pieces of crunchy friend chicken fat if you wish.
• Add salt and pepper.
• Serve with toast points or crackers.

CHICKEN LIVERS WITH SHALLOTS AND MARSALA

Steps:

• Remove strings or sinew from livers. Sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Dredge lightly in flour; shake off excess.
• Heat olive oil and 2 tablespoons butter in a medium saute pan over medium heat. Saute livers in two batches (using more butter and oil if necessary with the second batch) until nicely browned and still pink in the center, about 2 minutes on each side.
• Remove livers from saute pan; place on a plate, covered with foil, to keep warm. Drain off all but 1 tablespoon fat; discard. If there is not enough fat in pan, add more olive oil. Add shallots and herbs; saute until shallots are soft and slightly browned, about 2 minutes. Add Marsala; simmer until reduced by half, about 2 minutes. Add stock; simmer until reduced by half, about 3 minutes.
• Remove pan from heat, and swirl in remaining butter. Season with salt and pepper. Pour sauce over livers before serving.