A recent inventory of my freezer revealed a significant number of chicken livers, the result of my inability to waste anything that can be later turned into something yummy! To explain, each time I buy a whole chicken, the carcass, heart and gizzards all go into stock. Chicken livers, on the other hand, are no good for stock, as they will make it bitter and cloudy. So I save them up, tightly wrapped, in the freezer, until I have enough to make chicken liver mousse, a favorite around here.
This is not so much a recipe as a general discussion, as chicken liver mousse adapts well to improvisation and ingredient substitutions.
Ingredients:
- Chicken livers, thawed
- Cold butter, or neutral vegetable oil
- Cognac, sweet wine, vermouth, brandy or other alcohol for de-glazing and flavoring
- Shallot, garlic or onion
- Butter, room temperature
- Heavy cream, sour cream or crème fraîche
- Sage or thyme if desired
- Salt and pepper
Preparation:
- Clean the chicken livers by removing any connective fibers. Cut out any green spots. Dice finely a bit of onion, garlic or shallot. If you are using herbs, stem and chop finely.
- Season the livers with salt and pepper. Heat a little cold butter or neutral oil in a heavy saute pan just big enough to hold all the livers. (a heavy pan is a must to get a nice, brown sear on the livers). When it is hot, add the livers to the pan in a single layer. Sear over high heat until browned on the bottom. Turn and continue searing until the livers are firm but still very pink in the middle. Remove the livers to a dish, wipe our the pan and add a little fresh cold butter or oil. Add the chopped onion/garlic/shallot and the herbs (if using) to the pan and cook until soft but not colored. Deglaze with a splash of alcohol, let reduce by half, then turn out the pan into the dish with the livers. Cool to room temperature.
- Put the cooked livers with the shallots and remaining liquid into the bowl of a food processor. Add a spoonful of heavy cream/crème fraîche/sour cream or Purée until smooth. With the motor running, add room temperature butter until a light consistency is reached. You can vary the amount of cream and butter to get a stronger or milder flavored mousse. Correct the seasoning with salt and pepper. Add a bit more of the alcohol you used if needed.
- At this point, the preparation is ready to serve as a rustic chicken liver spread. For a more refined mousse, pass the mixture through fine wire mesh sieve, pressing firmly to get every bit.
- Serve with pickled onions, cornichons or the like, as the snap of vinegar helps cut the richness of the mousse. For bread, just fresh baguette would be great, but this mousse is also very good with toasted baguette slices, or try with walnut or rye bread.
