A simple pate modeled after my old chef’s from Rome. Sprinkle a bit of coarse salt on portions before serving. Top with jam, preserves, sautéed apples, and eat with hot buttered toast or grilled bread.
Yield: 3 cups
½teaspoonpink saltsodium nitrite (optional, this preserves the color)
Tart crab apples or other applespeeled and diced to yield 2 cups (8 oz)
½cupcognac or brandy
1cup4 oz yellow sweet onion, diced
2Tablespoonsflavorless cooking oilfor browning the liver
6oz1.5 sticks, unsalted butter, chilled and diced
½teaspoonkosher saltplus more to taste
1tablespoonmaple syrup
⅓cupheavy creamwarmed
10scrapes of nutmegoptional
High heat cooking oilas needed for browning the livers
Instructions
Leeching the liver
Cover the pieces of venison liver in cold water to cover by twice their volume, put a lid on the container, and refrigerate for 24 hours, changing the water, 2-3 times during the process, or every 8 hours, or as often as you can remember. Consider setting a timer.
Cooking and preparing
Remove the liver from water, then pat dry. Heat a pan with a small amount of oil, then brown the liver pieces well. Add the apples and onions adding a little water to the pan if it threatens to get too dark. Cook until the apples and onions are completely cooked and starting to color, about 5-10 minutes.
Add the cognac or brandy and flambee the mixture, then cook until almost all the liquid has evaporated. Puree the mixture in a highspeed blender, or food processor, adding the pink salt, maple syrup, kosher salt and pepper to taste, gradually adding the diced, cold butter and the cream until the mixture is very smooth.
Pass the mixture through a chinois strainer (optional) add the nutmeg, taste and adjust the seasoning, then place in a labeled, dated, container. Cover the pate with plastic wrap, pressing it down onto the pate to prevent oxidization if refrigerating.
The pate will keep in the fridge for 3 days, or it can be frozen. I like to portion the pate into 1 cup ramekins, covering them with a film of melted butter or fruit jam to prevent oxidization.