Are you a liver lover? Even if you’re not, you’ll love this super creamy and smooth spread with its rich-yet-mild flavor. Many pâté recipes involve a lot of complicated steps, but this one is simple, easy, and quick. If you are a liver lover, you can cook up a full pound of livers with a medium onion instead of a small one, feast on a quarter of what you’ve cooked, and use the rest to prepare this recipe. (That’s what I did!)
Besides eat lots of pâté, Andrew and I did a bunch of other things this week. We had an epic New York day on Saturday, starting with a visit to the Cloisters to see the exhibition Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination before it closed. It was so incredible to see the designer dresses displayed in a historic religious setting; it completely enhanced the experience for me.
After visiting the museum, we tried patacon for the first time at the food truck Patacon Pisao. Patacon is a delicious Venezuelan sandwich made with crisp discs of green plantain instead of bread. We had one with shredded beef and one vegetarian version with black beans, cheese, and avocado. Delicious!
Next we took the train to the tomb of Ulysses S. Grant, which I’ve heard about of course, but had never seen in person. It was interesting to learn about the history, and now we truly know the answer to the oft-asked question.
After that we rented Citibikes and biked along the Hudson River Park Bikeway all the way to the World Trade Center. From there, we walked up to the New York Earth Room and the Broken Kilometer, both installation art works by Walter de Maria. Photography is not allowed, so I have no photos for you, but you should go check out these works for yourself! I loved both of them.
After that we headed home. What a full day! Dinner was bluefish with crispy pancetta, kale salad with radish and pecorino, and roasted red kuri squash with chili and sumac. We toasted with cocktails made of rye and Amaro Nardini. We certainly don’t live like this every day, so when it does happen, I really appreciate it.
I have to say, we did great budget-wise on this one! The Cloisters was free for Bank of America Museums on Us weekend, our sandwiches were under $20 total, the Citibikes were $6 each, the Earth Room and Broken Kilometer were free, and dinner at home is always cheap! It’s a good thing we kept it cheap too, because after our fancy omakase anniversary dinner last week we’re trying to keep costs down for a bit. In last week’s post I promised I’d let you know how it went at Sushi Ishikawa. It was AMAZING. Very expensive but very worth it! We had the 15-course menu with sake pairing, and we both agreed that it was our best food experience ever. Here are just a few photos:
But the photos can’t even begin to capture the incredible flavors! I almost cried during the scallop course it was so perfect. We vowed to somehow work it into our budget to have a few wonderful meals like this every year.
For the other times, though, I’ll happily try out food trucks, cheaper restaurants, and do plenty of cooking at home. If I’m feeling extra fancy I may make this pâté!
The Best Chicken Liver Pâté
- 3/4 lb chicken livers, preferably pastured organic, trimmed
- 1 small onion, sliced
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) plus 1 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
- 1/4 tsp ground allspice
- 1 Tbsp brandy
- Salt and pepper to taste
- In a medium skillet, melt one tablespoon butter over medium heat. Add the onions and sauté, stirring occasionally, until they begin to soften, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the livers, cover, and cook 5 minutes. Turn the livers using a spatula and cook, covered, until just cooked through, about 5 more minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
- Add livers and onion, remaining butter, allspice, and brandy to a food processor and process until very smooth, several minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to serving bowl or crock and refrigerate until ready to serve. Serve with plenty of cornichons and whole grain mustard.
