Recipe of the Week: Chicken Liver Mousse

Chicken Liver Mousse
Recipe abridged from Cooking Meat

Serve this mousse with some gherkins and crusty French bread.

Makes about four 1-cup jars

Ingredients

1 lbs                     chicken livers
½ cup                   milk
To taste               Salt and pepper
3 Tbsp                  vegetable oil
1 cup                    cold butter, diced, plus 1 Tbsp butter for cooking
1 cup                    minced shallot
2 Tbsp                  minced garlic
1 Tbsp                  chopped thyme
1                            bay leaf
½ tsp                    paprika
½ cup                   brandy
¼ cup                   rendered chicken schmaltz or duck fat

Method

1. Clean the livers by trimming them of any visible fat, green bits (which would be from the connected gall bladder), or excess membrane. Place the livers in a bowl, cover with the milk, and allow to soak for 1 hour. Discard the milk, rinse the livers well, and dry them completely using a towel. Remove as much moisture as possible so they fry well.
2. Season the livers liberally with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Once it’s hot, add half the livers to the pan and cook until browned on both sides, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer the cooked livers to a plate to cool. Repeat with the remaining livers. Turn down the heat to medium.
3. Melt 1 Tbsp of butter in the pan, then add the shallots, garlic, thyme, bay leaf, and paprika, and sweat until the shallots are translucent. Deglaze the pan with the brandy, scraping all the bits off the bottom of the pan, and cook until the brandy is reduced by half, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat.
4. Place the chicken livers and shallot mixture in a blender and purée on high speed. Gradually add the remaining 1 cup of cold butter, stirring until fully emulsified. Season, if needed. Strain the purée through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean measuring jug.
5. Have ready four sterilized 1-cup jars with lids. Melt the schmaltz (or duck fat) in a pot over low heat.

6. Fill each jar three-quarters full with liver mixture, then spoon 1 Tbsp of the hot fat over each mousse to prevent it from oxidizing. Tightly seal the lids and refrigerate overnight to allow the flavors to develop. The mousse will keep, refrigerated, for up to 2 weeks.