This chicken liver pate by Jacques Pépin is by far the best liver pate we tried. Also it is just so simple and easy to prepare.
You just need to clean liver well, cook liver with herbs, onion and water, and drain the water, and put in the food processor. The other important thing is use quite a lot of butter and your favorite liquor. The recipe recommend cognac or whisky, and either works really well, and we also did with dark rum which was also a hit.
I also usually use fresh thyme and rosemary and add a couple more bay leaves while the original recipe is using dried thyme and one bay leaf.
This recipe is from Food and Wine.
https://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/chicken-liver-pate-march-2007
Ingredients
250g of chicken livers.
1/2 onion, sliced
1 small garlic clove, smashed and peeled
3 bay leaf
A couple of brunches of fresh thyme leaves (or 1/4 teaspoon of dried thyme)
a couple of brunches of fresh rosemary
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to season
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 teaspoons Cognac or Scotch whisky or rum
Freshly ground black pepper
Instruction
1. Clean the livers. Remove the blood and fat, and soak in running water for 15-30 mins, until water becomes clear.
2. In a medium saucepan, put the chicken livers, onion, garlic, bay leaf, thyme, rosemary and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Add the water and bring to a simmer. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the livers are barely pink inside, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and let stand, covered, for 5 minutes.
3.Discard the bay leaf. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the livers, onion, and garlic to a food processor; process until coarsely pureed. With the machine on, add the butter, 2 tablespoons at a time, until incorporated. Add the liquor, season with salt and pepper, and process until completely smooth. Scrape the pâté into 2 or 3 large ramekins. Press a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the pâté and refrigerate until firm. Serve chilled.