Blood Building Liver Paté

Blood Building Liver Paté
Liver is nature's multivitamin rich in iron and B vitamins (and other vitamins/minerals), which are essential for building red blood cells. Making paté is an easy "beginner" way of eating liver. I highly recommend using pasture-raised chicken livers for quality and delicate flavor. Beef and lamb livers are more potent in flavor and may be too intense for liver beginners. But that being said, you can use whatever pasture-raised liver you have available. 

Serves 8
Time: 30-45 min 

INGREDIENTS
½ cup (1 stick) salted grass-fed butter (plus more for topping if desired)
1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon fresh sage (or 1/4 teaspoon dry), finely minced
1 teaspoon fresh thyme (or 1/4 teaspoon dry), finely minced
1 teaspoon fresh marjoram (or 1/4 teaspoon dry), finely minced
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1 pound trimmed and evenly diced pasture-raised chicken/beef liver (see note)
Optional: ~1/4 cup bourbon/cognac (one single shot bottle or 50ml) - may replace with 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons half and half (or heavy cream)
1/4 teaspoon sea salt (plus more to taste)
Fresh ground pepper

DIRECTIONS
In a large skillet, heat the butter over medium heat until melted. Reduce heat to medium low and add the onion. Sauté 5 minutes. Then add the garlic, herbs, and allspice. Sauté another 5 minutes or until the onions are soft and glassy. 

Add the liver and cognac (or 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar) to the pan and cook until no longer bloody, but still slightly pink inside, about 2-3 minutes per side depending on the thickness of the liver. Turn off the heat and allow the mixture to cool a little bit, about 15 minutes.

Transfer the cooked liver mixture into a food processor. Process the mixture and add the half and half (or cream), sea salt, and ground pepper. Process until velvety smooth, be patient! If membranes were not trimmed, then there will be a bit of a chewy texture in some bites. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as desired.

Using a spatula, transfer the liver paté into a ceramic or glass container (s). Smooth the top with the spatula and top with optional melted butter/ghee for presentation. Refrigerate and eventually the butter topping will harden. The pate tastes best if allowed to sit in fridge for 1-2 days prior to serving. 

Note: Rinse liver prior to starting prep. Then trim the liver by removing as much of the white membrane/connective tissue as possible using a sharp kitchen scissor or knife. This will ensure a creamier paté. Chop into even sized pieces before cooking.

You can easily freeze the paté and thaw for use later. I like to divide the liver pate into a larger ceramic dish for immediate consumption, and the rest into a silicone food tray to make individual servings. I place this into the freezer, and once frozen, remove from silicone food tray and place into a sealable container and keep frozen until later use. Remove from freezer and place into a glass/ceramic dish and allow to thaw 30 minutes on counter or 1-2 hours in fridge.