Easy Holiday Entertaining Rick’s Picks Style: Kool Gherks & Tuscan Chicken Liver Pâté A Perfect Match

Rick’sPicks Kool Gherks and this Tuscan Inspired Chicken Liver Pâté are outstanding entertaining companions any time of year!

Our Thanksgiving guests devoured this thickset, velvety smooth well balanced Pâté coupled with the subtlety aromatic earthy whole gherkin pickles. YUM!

If you’re in a pickle (pun intended) as to what you should serve guests, bring to a potluck, or offer as a hostess gift during this holiday season, here’s your solution!

This spread will make a chicken liver lover out of your most ardent naysayers.  

The lesson here: always make recipes you bookmark, immediately!

Kool Gherks & Tuscan Chicken Liver Pâté
           tweaked and doubled from Food52  

The Method: Ingredients

2 jars of Rick’sPicks Kool Gherks

2 lbs. organic chicken livers
3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
4oz. (1 stick) of unsalted butter
4 large shallots
5 large garlic cloves, peeled and minced
7 anchovy filets
2 tablespoons of mined capers
6 sage leaves, chiffonade
salt
pepper
1 cup of dry white wine, I used a sauvignon blanc resisling blend, but any dry white will do.
Zest of one lemon
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 cup grated parmigiano reggiano
rye toast or sliced french or country style bread for serving

The Madness: Easy Preparation

Convenient to the business of the holiday season, this recipe was made two days in advance to allow the flavors to meld, and will last up to two weeks when topped with clarified butter and fried sage leaves. 

Soak chicken livers in milk 1 hour to overnight. Drain and rinse chicken livers thoroughly after soaking.  It is believed that the soaking the chicken livers in the milk helps to remove much of the offal’s gaminess and provide a more even tasting pâté.

Trim any sinews from the livers.  Dry the livers well with paper towels.

Here’s the fun part: In a large skillet, melt the butter and olive oil over medium-high heat.

Add and sauté the shallots, garlic, anchovy, capers, and sage to the butter and olive oil mixture until the shallots are lightly browned, approximately 5-7 minutes or so.

   

Season the chicken livers with salt and pepper. Add the seasoned chicken livers to the shallot mixture in the pan.  Cook over medium high heat until well browned.  Add half of the white wine (½ cup) to the cooking chicken livers and shallots mixture.  Continue to stir the chicken livers with a wooden spoon.  Break up the livers as they start to cook through.

Once the ½ cup of wine is absorbed, add the second ½ cup and repeat the process of stirring the chicken livers, breaking them up and allowing the wine to evaporate.

Once all of the wine has just about evaporated, remove the chicken livers shallot mixture from the heat and transfer to a food processor. Process the chicken liver mixture until quite smooth.  Feel free to stop and scrape down the sides of the food processor.  This creates a more even texture throughout the pâté.  One you’ve reached the desired consistency, add the lemon zest, lemon juice, and parmigiano reggiano.  Process the mixture once again until desired smooth consistency.  Taste the mixture.  Add additional salt or pepper as needed.

Serve warm or at room temperature to spread on rye toasts, a baguette, or grilled country bread topped with Rick’s Picks Kool Gherks, or serve the pickles whole alongside.

xo, Happy Entertaining!