I was almost 30 years old when I first tried Chicken Liver Pâté. We were in a Paris restaurant and had not ordered pâté, but the diners at the table next to us had. It was a mother and daughter from the United States, the daughter lived in Paris and her mother was visiting. I don't remember how the conversation began, but it ended with an insistent plea for us to "...just try the pâté." Back then I was not an adventurous eater. But, as they promised, it was absolutely delicious.
It's been more than a decade since then and though I've had different varieties of pâté, I'd never made my own. That's where Dorothy came in.
If you're a regular reader, I bet you've noticed Dorothy. I always look forward to her entertaining and insightful comments. Over the years we've become friends and she has shared many wonderful recipes with me - you may remember, Dorothy’s Shrimp, Crab and Avocado Salad. When I sent her a note asking about her New Year's Eve food traditions, she sent an impressive assortment including Oyster Shooters, Bacon Wrapped Dates (which I'll share with you tomorrow) and this Curried Chicken Liver Pâté. It was just the push I needed to finally try a homemade version and I can honestly say that this is the best chicken liver pâté I've ever had.
This is the perfect party appetizer recipe (maybe you're having a New Year's Eve party?). It's inexpensive, a snap to make and will win over even the most unadventurous eaters.
Curried Chicken Liver Pâté
Ingredients
- ¾ cup butter 1 ½ sticks, divided
- 1 small onion finely chopped
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 8 ounces chicken livers trimmed
- 1 teaspoon curry powder
- ½ cup chicken stock
- 2 eggs hard boiled and cut in half
- 2 pinches cayenne pepper
- salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Melt ½ cup butter in a skillet. Add onion, garlic and chicken livers; cook over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes, stirring. Stir in the curry powder and chicken stock and simmer about 5 minutes, turning the chicken livers a few times.
- Let mixture cool slightly, then place it and the eggs in a food processor. Add the salt, pepper and cayenne and process until smooth. Pour into desired container and smooth out if necessary. Chill overnight.
- Melt the remaining ¼ cup butter and slowly pour on top of pate. Garnish as desired (bay leaves, lemon slices, flat leaf parsley).
This looks fantastic, Marissa! Homemade is always superior, in my opinion. I had a duck liver pate at a friend's house in France, which she made herself. I got the recipe from her, but I wasn't feeling brave enough to attempt making it. Yours looks gorgeous, and I bet it tastes lovely! <3
Go Dorothy AND you for sharing this one. Curry with chicken liver... sounds quite delish to me! Happy New Years to you and Keith. You're a dear friend I so enjoy interacting with and sharing a love of food and travel.
HNY friend! xoxo
Dorothy is amazing, isn't she!? I'm so excited to meet her in person. Happy New Year to you too!! xoxo
I like this version of pâté, it is different and sounds great. Thanks to you and Dorothy.
Thanks so much, Karen! I love all sorts of pâté, but this is the first I've tried with curry. It really blends beautifully with the other flavors.
It all looks great, but I don't understand the reason for the melted butter over the top? Is it taste, texture, fat??
Hi Lorelle...I wondered the same thing. The pâté itself is very buttery and that extra drizzle of butter on top adds just a little more flavor and depth. I really liked the sprinkle of fresh parsley too, offsetting the richness...
Curried chicken live pate sounds delicious! Nice one!
Thank you, Sabrina!
Hi Marissa! So glad you like this! It is quite straightforward to make and very inexpensive. Hopefully one day we can all share an appetizer night! Thank you my friend for everything!
Hi Dorothy! I just wish I hadn't waited so long to make a homemade version! Thank you so much for the inspiration!! xo