Friday, January 18, 2013

Chicken Liver Gâteau With Pickled Onions

A true adventure this week ~

Per Nana~
If you like chopped chicken liver, you are going to love this recipe. 
Believe it or not, I was not anxious to make this because I thought 
it would turn out like an aspic. However since the chicken livers 
are so inexpensive, I decided to give it a try and if we didn't like it, 
I could always chuck it.  How wrong I was.

Hubby's first reaction was "it has no flavor", but when we added
the onions it really kicked it up a notch.  I served it for dinner as a
first course and added some sliced petite pickles on the side.


I think pickles and liver or liverwurst just go together.
The gâteaux was so good, we could not stop raving.
I would love to make this for a dinner party but I don't know
if I could get a crowd.  Tricia, for sure, would not be interested.

This was one recipe that I'm glad I did not cut in half.
I had such a laugh reading the P&Q comments this week 
so I'm anxious to see the results from all the Doristas. 

Per Tricia~
I have enjoyed liverwurst since I was little, but not actual liver-
 I can't even take the aroma. My hubby has to go visit Nana if he 
wants any.  I was getting squeamish, sad but true, just at Dorie's
 instructions to trim any veins, fat or green spots. Egads. 
Luckily, Nana dropped off the trimmed liver ready to go. 
She even supplied a few more ingredients and basically did everything
 but turn on the Cuisinart :)  The prep and cooking were very easy, and 
while I fell for the "Saran Wrap in the oven" last week - I opted out of 
putting paper towel in the water bath.  Luckily my results turned out fine.
 They smelled lovely, plated up easily and the family enjoyed them.  
I did have to chuckle because the one thing my younger son mentioned
 was that he was disappointed that it was like a "liver dip" because his host 
family in Italy had surprised him with cooked livers and he enjoyed them.  
I guess he will have to head over to Nana's for the real deal....... 

15 comments:

  1. Nana and Tricia: I must say that both your Chicken Liver Gâteaux look so nice and creamy and delicious on their beds of lettuce. Nana, I agree with you that anything pickled goes so well with any liver dish but to our surprise the tomato confit was equally nice with these Gâteaux, who would have known. And Tricia, the remark about your son liking liver made me smile, I did not dare mention that one of my children told me to make this recipe "more often", I did not think anyone would really believe it. By the way, I love that square French serving platter.
    Have a wonderful weekend!

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  2. I love this kind of pate, but couldn´t find chicken livers. It turned out wonderful! I really need to try it and the onions too. It is great for a dinner party Nana. Have a great weekend both of you!

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  3. We loved this one too, so tasty. And Tricia, don't worry about paper towels in a water bath, their purpose is to keep the ramekins from sliding around and I've used them dozens of times with no ill effects. So long as they are submerged in water, there is no danger of burning.

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  4. Wow, both of those gateaux look mighty tasty! I love the creamy look to them. And they look lovely on a bed of lettuce! This was definitely an interesting experience, and I think you both tackled this dish marvelously!

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  5. Glad this was mostly a hit :-)

    Tricia - I think I am right there with you... I am glad there were no weird spots on my livers (and glad the tub of livers were so cheap)

    Tricia glad you are feeling better and hope the college transition is going well. We took Runner Girl back Tuesday and boy does the house feel empty.

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  6. "Liver Dip" is not for everyone! We liked it and both of your dishes look very good!

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  7. Tricia, you are sooooooo lucky to have Nana! Just reading the "prep" gets my gagger going. I don't remember my mom trimming the liver or gizzards before frying them...the whole process just grosses me out, although as a kid, I ate it all.

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  8. I needed Nana to turn on my food processor! That was the only part I didn't enjoy, but the results were tasty! Glad you both enjoyed :)

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  9. How perfect that you could share the tub of chicken livers. I had to make a different version of "liver dip" with the rest of mine. I enjoyed this too. I guess you are a little bit split on this one.

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  10. Both plates look lovely. Nana, it was so good of you to clean up the livers for Tricia! Mine were quite clean when I bought them, so weren't any bother to prepare. I loved how quickly this came together, though I admit it wasn't the most attractive custard I've ever prepared.

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  11. I am glad that you both had a hit with this. I liked it better cold than warm, and I was lucky - my livers were clean when I got them.

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  12. Good for you, Tricia, for making them! I have a feeling if Nana serves these at a dinner party, you won't be interested. ;) I am so glad that both of you had people who enjoyed them and both of your dishes look so pretty.

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  13. Both of your chicken livers turned out looking pretty delicious! Kudos for making it.

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  14. It was the cleaning of the liver that I could not do. Plus, the last time I cooked liver, we all got sick. Since then, I will eat liver in a restaurant, but won't prepare it at home. Both dishes look wonderful! Good job, ladies!

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  15. Ok. I'm absolutely IN. L-O-V-E with your plates!! Where did you get them??!

    Glad it worked out for the both of you, although it looks like some stubborn bubbles stuck around for the finale! :)

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