Pages

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Ott,A's Iron Chef Challenge-Pâté

Hi. My name is Jen, and I'm addicted to Food Network.

As if you guys didn't already know, right? Anyway, they're always showing all these foods using parts of the animals that I'd normally throw away. Like today, I watched Chopped and the first basket had goat brains! Yes, you read that correctly...GOAT BRAINS. I'm all about trying new things, but I have to say, I cannot and will not cook brains. That being said, maybe I go a little over board with what parts I will or won't eat, and I recognize that I should broaden my horizons. So, I finally broke down and decided I shouldn't keep throwing away livers just because I think I don't like them. When the meat is processed, they leave the livers in there for a reason. Obviously, at least some people like them. While perusing the internet for recipes using duck liver, I found a few recipes for pâté, all with many different ingredients. I wasn't really sure how so many different ingredients could all make pâté, so I did what any reasonable person does...I searched it in Wiki.

Pâté (French pronunciation: [pɑte]; UK: /ˈpæteɪ/, US: /pæˈteɪ/) is a mixture of ground meat and fat minced into a spreadable paste. Common additions include vegetables, herbs, spices, and wine.

 Ah, problem solved. Basically, it's a meat paste. Real appetizing, right? The problem I had with all these different recipes is I was short an ingredient or two. Then I found one that kind of seemed like a cheeseball with liver instead of chipped beef. So is it pâté? Or liver cheeseball? You decide!


Here's the recipe I started with:
8 oz. liver sausage (liverwurst Braunschweiger)
8 oz. cream cheese
1 clove garlic
2 pinches heavy curry powder
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

Thin toast & butter to serve with the pate
Remove the skin from the liver sausage, then put into food processor or mixer with cream cheese and garlic and beat together until they are thoroughly mixed. Stir in  Worcestershire sauce and curry powder. Pack the pate into small dishes and mash the surface of each with the blade end of the knife. Serve with thin toast and butter.

Well, I didn't have liver sausage; I had liver from the 2 ducks I cooked. By the way, here's a pic of duck #2-Pineapple Glazed Duck
The blended pineapple and brown sugar glaze was yummy! Anyway, on with the pate...

To start, I cooked the livers with about 1/4 of an onion.

When livers were fully cooked, I tossed out the onions and set the livers on a plate to cool. Meanwhile, I pulled out the food processor and  tossed in the softened cream cheese and clove of garlic. I also added about 1/4 of the onion to give it more flavor. When the livers were cool, I added those in processed away. 




 Mmmm...meat paste. Next, I added the Worcestershire and some salt and pepper. I opted out of the curry. I honestly didn't think the husband would eat it with the curry, but if I told him it was just liver and onions with some cream cheese, he'd be all over it. Now, scrape all this out and set it in the fridge for a while. 

A couple hours later, I pulled out some Italian bread and sliced it thinly. 

Now, pop it into the oven on the "high" broiler setting to get a nice toast. Just a few seconds on each side.
Spread on the pate, and enjoy! 
The husband loved it! I really didn't think it had a bad flavor, I just didn't particularly like it. If someone served it to me and I didn't know it was liver, I probably would have loved it.




Photobucket

Tasty Tuesday

7 comments:

Cranberry Morning said...

Now if I could just forget the function of the liver... :-)

Unknown said...

Steve loves tongue! (beef not duck!) It's an acquired taste, but I have grown to like it.

Paula Schuck said...

I haven't had liver in a long time. Hi. I am a new follower from http://www.thriftymommastips.blogspot.com/

and tuesday train.

Susan said...

Well you are sure making it hard for the rest of us in the Iron Chef Challenge - this is pretty ambitious! Didn't look as hard as I would have expected though... if I could figure out how to think it wasn't liver I would definitely make it! ;-)

floweringmama said...

Whew, you are braver than me!

Cathy @ Country Cathy

Sherrie said...

Pate is my favorite thing but it is so expensive. I love it with brie. I will try this recipe but I am thinking adding another spice than the curry. I think I will play around. Thanks for giving me a starting point. I will let you know how I do.

Ott, A. said...

well I'm impressed your hubby liked it. I don't know if I would be brave enough to try it but I think it's great that you made it as it made a perfect addition to the challenge.