(Photo: Our table last night. The wreath around the candle was the one my son made last Wednesday during our Wreath Making Party; the red banded dishes were a gift from my friend Maritza several years ago. The white polka dotted on red plates were a steal deal at Ross' a few years ago and the tablecloth is made from a piece of fabric our friend Galyn gave me earlier this year...oh, and the little white porcelain 'berry basket' in middle of the table was a 50¢ find at a local recycling center!)
Last night our mini-festive meal consisted of an assortment of pūpūs (Hawaiian word for appetizers)
I served a couple of cheeses (a white, slightly crumbly Wensleydale with cranberries made in England and a smooth and buttery Brie topped with sliced and toasted almonds and cranraisins), a couple of spreads (homemade pimento cheese and a chicken liver paté), and cream cheese topped with smoked wild Alaskan salmon. The pimento cheese spread, the paté and the salmon were all served on sliced and toasted French baguettes.
When I first shared the chicken liver paté with friends in a foodie group on Yahoo many years ago, a couple of them were skeptical about the combination of cream cheese and roasted garlic added to the chicken livers to make this paté, but after trying it, it was agreed this was a very GOOD version
Chicken Liver Paté - Paté de foie de volaille avec Madeira
1 large onion, sliced or chopped
about 1 Tablespoon butter
1 pound chicken livers, coarsely chopped
1/4 Madeira (or dry Sherry)
Salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
2 - 3 heads roasted garlic
2 (8 ounce) blocks cream cheese
1 envelope plain Knox gelatine (optional)
Sauté the onion in small amount butter to translucent. Add the chopped chicken livers and sauté until livers are done, adding a bit (about 1/4 cup) of Madeira or dry sherry to finish cooking.
A touch of salt and fresh ground pepper.
Meanwhile start roasting 3 heads of garlic with a bit of olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
In food processor:
Process the blocks of cream cheese and add the chicken liver mixture. Squeeze the roasted garlic into the mix and process smooth.
You can add a bit of plain gelatin (a full Knox packet for 1 pound of livers) to the sherry before mixing it in, to give it a bit more body.
YIELD: A lot! Recipe can be halved or doubled
SOURCE: The original recipe with Sherry was mine. A friend suggested using Madeira after she tried it and another friend came up with the 'fancier' name 'Paté of Chicken Livers with Madeira' in French.
For dessert I made a rich and luscious Chocolate Pot de Crème which I served with a topping of sliced and pitted fresh loquats poached in simple syrup. The combination of the two was way over the top! We found the loquats on a tree growing by the side of one of our back roads this past Thursday. They were perfectly ripe and juicy!
We are looking forward to several more mini-festive meals the rest of this month!
