Russian Monday: Chicken Liver Pâté With Red Wine & Cranberry Jelly

History of pâté is rooted in the distant past and many countries contest the right to be named its birthplace, however, by default this right is held by France. In truth, French chefs have simply revived the dish loved by ancient Romans. Interestingly enough, in medieval times, pates were served as feast culmination, and hence were decorated in the most luxurious fashion, often made with “surprise” inside, when live birds could fly out from inside of the dish brought into the feast hall. Often pâtés were cooked wrapped in the layer of dough, like pies. Dough was simply a wrapper and secondary to the stuffing, hence word “pâté” has started being used only for what was inside of such pies.

Onion Marmalade with Fig Balsamic Vinegar served over Chicken Liver Pâté

ONION "Rose Among Roots"from The Spice Cookbook, 1964

Had robert Louis Stevenson been a modern advertising man, and been offered a fee to glorify the onions, he couldn't have done better than in his poem on salad making:

First let the onion flourish there,
Rose among roots, the maiden-fair
Wine-scented and poetic soul
Of the capacious bowl!

Then there was the eighteenth-century clergyman and wit, the Reverend Sydney Smith, who initiated a salad with a bit of minced onion. His rhymed recipe prescribed:

Let onion's atoms lurk within the bowl,
And scarce suspected, animate the whole.

The early nineteenth century seems to have produced a quantity of recipes written in rhyme, or what seemed to have passed for rhyme in those days. There was one recipe for roast stuffed swan which reads, in part, "…an onion, will heighten the flavor in gourmand's opinion."

All cooks agree with this opinion-
No savory dish without an onion.



The onion has been used for so many centuries by so many people throughout the world it is hardly possible to determine its origin. Most likely it was in Asia Minor, the home of so many Old World vegetables. We know that the Egyptians ate onions in great quantities. Even the pyramids seem to be indebted to the onion. For the manpower that built them was fortified with onions, according to history as recorded by Herodotus. He noted that in his time there was an inscription on the Great Pyramid of Cheops saying that 1600 talents of silver had been spent on onions, garlic, and radishes for the workmen in 2900 B.C.



This sweet and tangy condiment is perfect for grilled meats, burgers, sandwiches, pizza or on a crostini as an appetizer. I like to serve it over Chicken Liver Pate with butter, for pate you can find the recipe here.

Ingredients:

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 3 medium onions, sliced
• 2 Tbsp  fig balsamic vinegar
• 1 Tbsp brown sugar or honey
• 1 Tbsp thyme, chopped
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat; then add the onions, and brown sugar, and stir to dissolve the sugar.  Continue to cook the onions over medium heat for about 15 more minutes, stirring occasionally, until they are soft, translucent, and light brown.  Add the balsamic vinegar and thyme, turn the heat to low, and continue to cook the onions, stirring occasionally, for about 10 more minutes.  When they are done, they will be deep, dark brown and will have absorbed all the vinegar.




Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Use over chicken liver pate with toast.

Country Pate with Pistachios

There is nothing more delightful than a complete luncheon of hors d'oeuvres, especially on a hot day in in summer. The color and variety of the various dishes, particularly when accompanied by well-chilled bottle of fine white wine, reawakens the most heat-dulled appetite.

This country pate with pistachios may be served as a first course with a light entree and a fruit dessert to follow; or a luncheon may be made up entirely of various hors d'oeuvre dishes. In the latter case you would want to serve some vegetable dishes, fish hors d'oeuvre, and certain accompaniments.



Recipe from “Cuisine Rapide” by Pierre Franey and Bryan Miller

Servings: 8

Ingredients:

• 1 Tbsp Butter
• 1/2 cup shallots, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 lb veal liver, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1/4 tsp dry thyme
• 1/2 bay leaf, crumbled
• 3/4 lb lean veal, cut into 1-inch cubs
• 1 lb lean pork, cut into 1-inch cubs
• 1/2 lb cooked ham, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1/2 cup pistachios, shelled, toasted
• 1/8 tsp groung allspice
• 1/8 tsp ground cloves
• 1/8 tsp ground cumin
• pinch ground cinnamon
• pinch cayenne pepper
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425F.

Heat the butter in a heavy skillet and add the shallots. Cook briefly, stirring. Add the liver and sprinkle with the thyme and bay leaf. Cook about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Put the veal in a food processor or blender and blend it slightly finer than store-bought hamburger. Empty the veal into a mixing bowl. Put the pork in the food processor or blender and blend it a little coarser than store-bought hamburger. Add the pork to the veal.



Put the liver mixture in the food processor or blender and blend it as finely as possible. Pour and scrape it into the bowl with the pork and veal. Add the ham and pistachios.  Add the allspice, cloves, nutmeg, cumin, cinnamon, cayenne, wine, salt and pepper and blend well with your fingers. To test the mixture for seasoning, shape a small portion into a patty and cook it, turning once, in a nonstick skillet until cook through. Taste the patty and add more seasonings as desired.



Pack the mixture in a 5- or 6-cup loaf pan. Smooth the top, rounding it slightly. Cover tightly with foil and place the pan in a heatproof baking dish. Set the dish on the stove and pour in boiling water around the loaf pan. Bring the water to a boil.  Place the pan in the water bath in the oven and bake for 1 1/2 hours or until the internal temperature reaches 170 degrees F.



Remove the pan from the oven and carefully drain off any excess fat. Let stand until ready to serve. The pate is excellent hot or cold. You may cool it in the dish and chill until cold, preferably overnight. Cut into 1/2-inch slices and serve with pickled vegetables.

Note: In France, cornichons (small dill pickles) and mustard are traditional accompaniments for pate and terriines along with slices of crusty baguette. Serve it for an elegant picnic or a cold buffet.