Ott,A's Iron Chef Challenge-Pâté

Hi. My name is Jen, and I'm addicted to Food Network.

As if you guys didn't already know, right? Anyway, they're always showing all these foods using parts of the animals that I'd normally throw away. Like today, I watched Chopped and the first basket had goat brains! Yes, you read that correctly...GOAT BRAINS. I'm all about trying new things, but I have to say, I cannot and will not cook brains. That being said, maybe I go a little over board with what parts I will or won't eat, and I recognize that I should broaden my horizons. So, I finally broke down and decided I shouldn't keep throwing away livers just because I think I don't like them. When the meat is processed, they leave the livers in there for a reason. Obviously, at least some people like them. While perusing the internet for recipes using duck liver, I found a few recipes for pâté, all with many different ingredients. I wasn't really sure how so many different ingredients could all make pâté, so I did what any reasonable person does...I searched it in Wiki.

Pâté (French pronunciation: [pɑte]; UK: /ˈpæteɪ/, US: /pæˈteɪ/) is a mixture of ground meat and fat minced into a spreadable paste. Common additions include vegetables, herbs, spices, and wine.

 Ah, problem solved. Basically, it's a meat paste. Real appetizing, right? The problem I had with all these different recipes is I was short an ingredient or two. Then I found one that kind of seemed like a cheeseball with liver instead of chipped beef. So is it pâté? Or liver cheeseball? You decide!

 

Here's the recipe I started with:

8 oz. liver sausage (liverwurst Braunschweiger)
8 oz. cream cheese
1 clove garlic
2 pinches heavy curry powder
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

Thin toast & butter to serve with the pate

Remove the skin from the liver sausage, then put into food processor or mixer with cream cheese and garlic and beat together until they are thoroughly mixed. Stir in  Worcestershire sauce and curry powder. Pack the pate into small dishes and mash the surface of each with the blade end of the knife. Serve with thin toast and butter.

Well, I didn't have liver sausage; I had liver from the 2 ducks I cooked. By the way, here's a pic of duck #2-Pineapple Glazed Duck

The blended pineapple and brown sugar glaze was yummy! Anyway, on with the pate...

To start, I cooked the livers with about 1/4 of an onion.

 

 

When livers were fully cooked, I tossed out the onions and set the livers on a plate to cool. Meanwhile, I pulled out the food processor and  tossed in the softened cream cheese and clove of garlic. I also added about 1/4 of the onion to give it more flavor. When the livers were cool, I added those in processed away. 

 

 Mmmm...meat paste. Next, I added the Worcestershire and some salt and pepper. I opted out of the curry. I honestly didn't think the husband would eat it with the curry, but if I told him it was just liver and onions with some cream cheese, he'd be all over it. Now, scrape all this out and set it in the fridge for a while. 

A couple hours later, I pulled out some Italian bread and sliced it thinly. 

Now, pop it into the oven on the "high" broiler setting to get a nice toast. Just a few seconds on each side.

Spread on the pate, and enjoy! 

The husband loved it! I really didn't think it had a bad flavor, I just didn't particularly like it. If someone served it to me and I didn't know it was liver, I probably would have loved it.

Tasty Tuesday