Chicken Liver Pate with Pistachios

I know, I know, the thought of liver sends most of you screaming and running for the hills.  For the most part, it does me, too, except I have acquired a taste for chicken liver. I only like it in a couple of  recipes, and let me assure you, I loved it in this one.  There is a suaveness and sophistication that is beyond description.  If you need something different and elegant, I hope you try this.  I made this for New Year's, and this went down a storm with everyone, except for Ole Sweetie-Pi.  He was running for the hills!

Speaking of elegant, I discovered this keeper recipe on the very elegant Christine's blog,  Fresh Local and Best.  I am a big fan of Christine; her food is consistently amazing and her photography and travels leave me wanting more.  Christine's recipe and  title is fancier than mine, as my little grocery store didn't have porcini mushrooms, and you know they didn't have duck fat, smiles.  I made do with regular button mushrooms and real butter, and this pate was still out of this world wonderful. 

Chicken Liver Porcini Pate with Pistachios
(Christine's Fresh Local and Best)

5 grams dried porcini mushrooms (I used 5 grams fresh)
200 grams chicken livers
75 grams butter, divided
3-4 thyme sprigs
1 scallion
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons Marsala wine
2 tablespoons heavy cream
3 tablespoons salted pistachios, coarsely chopped, divided
3 tablespoons duck fat or butter

Soak the porcinis in hot water for at least fifteen minutes, then squeeze the excess liquid out of them, and chop finely.

Prepare the liver:  Put the liver in a strainer and rinse the livers under cold running water.  Dry with a paper towel.  Remove the sinews and membrane. Cut large livers in half.

Melt 50 grams of the butter in a small saucepan and set aside.

Rinse and dry the scallion and thyme.  Pluck off the thyme leaves.  Finely chop the scallion.  Set aside.

In a small-to-medium saute pan, melt the remainder of the butter over medium heat until it foams.  Saute the scallions.  Add the thyme, liver and porcinis.  Saute until the liver is cooked through, approximately six minutes.  You can test for doneness by taking one of the larger pieces and cutting through the middle.  The center should be barely pink.  Add the Marsala wine and salt and pepper to taste. 

Briefly cool the liver and  then place the liver mixture  into a food processor.  Pulse several times, watching for texture; you do not want to pulse this too fine.

Stir in the cooled butter that was set aside and the heavy cream.  Add half the coarsely chopped pistachios and mix into the pate.  Put the pate in a small bowl that still leaves some headroom at the top.  Cover and chill in the refrigerator for about an hour.

Melt the 3 tablespoons of duck fat or butter over low heat and pour over the chilled pate with a tablespoon.  Evenly distribute the fat by tilting the bowl so that the fat covers the pate.  Sprinkle the remainder of the pistachios over the pate, cover, and refrigerate for another hour.

Christine says the pate should last about four days.  Ours was gone long before that!

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