Pate - advice please

karlitob · 14-11-2014 11:49pm #1

Hey all,

Love eating pate, and not a bad cook, but struggling with my pate. Always seems very strong. Can anyone comment on the livers - chicken liver I use. I've heard that it chicken liver isn't the freshest it can become very strong.

Thanks

foodaholic · 14-11-2014 11:56pm

Soaking the livers in milk can help

karlitob · 15-11-2014 12:04am

foodaholic wrote: »

Soaking the livers in milk can help

Oh yeah, good idea. So you reckon they do get stronger the less fresh they are?

Minder · 15-11-2014 9:52am

The flavour also becomes stronger the more you cook the livers. What do they look like then cooked?

Teyla Emmagan · 15-11-2014 10:00am

The more butter you put in the less you can taste the liver. What's your recipe like? Mine is half and half (225 each) but you can put in up to 350g butter if the livers are strong. It should taste milder when you like when finished as the flavours will intensify.

I am reading that last bit out of a book in case you think I am some sort of pate genius. Do remember having the same issue though.

Jezek · 15-11-2014 11:32am

can you give us the recipe you're using?

Teyla Emmagan · 15-11-2014 11:42am

Here you go. This is also one of the cheapest starters you could make for a dinner party - I serve it in ramekins with a seal of butter on top to stop it discolouring. You can make it a day or two before and just pop it on a plate on the day. It's a genius little recipe.

Ballymaloe Chicken Liver Pate

Serves 10-12 depending on how it is served.

This recipe has certainly stood the test of time; it has been our pâté maison at Ballymaloe since the opening of the restaurant in 1965. It is served in many different ways: its success depends upon being generous with good Irish butter.

225g (8oz) fresh organic chicken livers
2 tablespoons brandy
225-350g butter (depending on how strong the chicken livers are)
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1 large clove garlic, crushed
freshly ground pepper

clarified butter to seal the top

Wash the livers and remove any membrane or green tinged bits.
Melt a little butter in a frying pan; when the butter foams add in the livers and cook over a gentle heat. Be careful not to overcook them or the outsides will get crusty; all trace of pink should be gone. Put the livers through a sieve or into a food processor. De-glaze the pan with brandy, allow to flame, add the crushed garlic and thyme leaves and then scrape off with a spatula and add to the livers. Puree for a few seconds. Allow to cool.

Add 225g (8oz) butter and fresh thyme leaves. Puree until smooth. Season carefully, taste and add more butter, cut into cubes if necessary.

This pate should taste fairly mild and be quite smooth in texture. Put into pots or into one large terrine. Knock out any air bubbles.

Clarify some butter and run a little over the top of the pate to seal.
Serve with hot toast or crusty bread. This pate will keep for 4 or 5 days in a refrigerator. It is essential to cover chicken liver pate with a layer of clarified or even just melted butter, otherwise the pate will oxidize and become bitter in taste and grey in colour.

karlitob · 15-11-2014 2:40pm

Teyla Emmagan wrote: »

Here you go. This is also one of the cheapest starters you could make for a dinner party - I serve it in ramekins with a seal of butter on top to stop it discolouring. You can make it a day or two before and just pop it on a plate on the day. It's a genius little recipe.

Ballymaloe Chicken Liver Pate

Serves 10-12 depending on how it is served.

This recipe has certainly stood the test of time; it has been our pâté maison at Ballymaloe since the opening of the restaurant in 1965. It is served in many different ways: its success depends upon being generous with good Irish butter.

225g (8oz) fresh organic chicken livers
2 tablespoons brandy
225-350g butter (depending on how strong the chicken livers are)
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1 large clove garlic, crushed
freshly ground pepper

clarified butter to seal the top

Wash the livers and remove any membrane or green tinged bits.
Melt a little butter in a frying pan; when the butter foams add in the livers and cook over a gentle heat. Be careful not to overcook them or the outsides will get crusty; all trace of pink should be gone. Put the livers through a sieve or into a food processor. De-glaze the pan with brandy, allow to flame, add the crushed garlic and thyme leaves and then scrape off with a spatula and add to the livers. Puree for a few seconds. Allow to cool.

Add 225g (8oz) butter and fresh thyme leaves. Puree until smooth. Season carefully, taste and add more butter, cut into cubes if necessary.

This pate should taste fairly mild and be quite smooth in texture. Put into pots or into one large terrine. Knock out any air bubbles.

Clarify some butter and run a little over the top of the pate to seal.
Serve with hot toast or crusty bread. This pate will keep for 4 or 5 days in a refrigerator. It is essential to cover chicken liver pate with a layer of clarified or even just melted butter, otherwise the pate will oxidize and become bitter in taste and grey in colour.

Hi all, boards.ie never fails to impress with the brilliant responses to these questions. I reckon I cook them well but maybe I over do it. I use the ballymaloe recipe too so not sure what I'm doing wrong. Thats why I thought it may be the livers that are too strong cos they may not be fresh.

Teyla Emmagan · 15-11-2014 5:49pm

karlitob wrote: »

Hi all, boards.ie never fails to impress with the brilliant responses to these questions. I reckon I cook them well but maybe I over do it. I use the ballymaloe recipe too so not sure what I'm doing wrong. Thats why I thought it may be the livers that are too strong cos they may not be fresh.

Pretty horrible your butcher might be selling you livers that aren't fresh enough. I presume they look okay when you buy them? The only trick to that recipe is deglazing the pan correctly. Do it right and the brandy with really cut through the buttery and livery tastes

Jezek · 15-11-2014 5:54pm

I would say you might be cooking your liver too much. Make sure to just cook it through, no more!

Minder · 16-11-2014 12:45am

Ballymaloe says all trace of pink should be gone. That's your problem right there. All trace of raw should be gone but pink is where it's at. When was the last time you ordered pate at a restaurant and it arrived as a grey/taupe slab? Over cooking liver brings out the iron making it bitter, cook the livers to pink, crusty bits are fine if you are passing the pate through a fine sieve, crusty = flavour.

Jezek · 16-11-2014 1:37am

Minder wrote: »

Ballymaloe says all trace of pink should be gone. That's your problem right there. All trace of raw should be gone but pink is where it's at. When was the last time you ordered pate at a restaurant and it arrived as a grey/taupe slab? Over cooking liver brings out the iron making it bitter, cook the livers to pink, crusty bits are fine if you are passing the pate through a fine sieve, crusty = flavour.

I agree with you, pink = good

emaleth · 17-11-2014 7:08pm

Jezek wrote: »

I agree with you, pink = good

I use the same recipe and cook the livers pink. It's horrible when they're cooked all the way through. It's not just the flavour being off, the texture is iffy too.

Pate - advice please

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