Makes 2.5 cups
Prep time | 30 minutes
Cooking time | 15 minutes + standing time
• Green peppercorn pate| I love pate! When this one is completed place it in the fridge for at least two hours. It will keep for a week in the fridge.
Ingredients
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 brown onion, peeled and diced
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
• 400g chicken livers, trimmed of sinew and green parts. (yields about 320g)
• ¼ cup brandy
• 125g cold butter, cubed
• ¼ cup cream
• 30g tin green peppercorns
• 75g butter, extra
Method
1. Heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat in a non-stick frypan. Add the onion, garlic and thyme and sauté for 5 minutes or until the onions are translucent and fragrant. Remove the mixture to a bowl to cool.
2. Heat the other tablespoon of oil and sauté the chicken livers for around 5 minutes. It is important to get a nice brown crust on the livers, but still leave a little bit of pink in the centre. Remove to a bowl with the onion mixture to cool.
Pour the brandy into the pan to deglaze. Scrape up all the tasty bits from the bottom of the pan. Before it evaporates completely, pour the brandy into the bowl with the livers and onions.
3. When cool, place the contents of the bowl into a food processor. Process, scraping down the sides of the bowl, for a good few minutes or until you achieve a smooth consistency. Add the cold butter and cream and process again until completely combined. ( If you prefer a completely smooth pate, at this stage it can be passed through a sieve. It’s pretty time consuming and your yield will be slightly smaller. I don’t worry about it.)
4. Stir the peppercorns through the pate, reserving a few for the top. Place the pate into whatever sized ramekins or jars you like – one terrine dish for a picnic, smaller ramekins for a dinner party, for example – and carefully smooth the top.
5. In a small saucepan, melt the butter over a very low heat until the milk solids have separated from the oil and sunk to the bottom. Carefully pour the clarified butter over the pate, making sure the whole surface is submerged. This will set in the fridge and ensure that the pate is protected from the air, which will cause it to oxidise and darken. Place the pate in the fridge for at least two hours. It will keep for a week in the fridge.
