Ian's Pate -

Salut/Hi Chuck Reid,

le/on Mon, 13 Oct 2003 09:46:03 -0400, tu disais/you said:-

I suppose I'd better post the "real" recipe, if only to give credit where credit is due.

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Title: Pate Maison (Chicken Liver) Categories: french, offal, poultry, starters Yield: 8 servings

225 g chicken liver 112 g butter 1 md onion; finely chopped 1 sm bouquet garni 1 garlic clove; finely chopped 1 seasoning 1 tb brandy 1 clarified butter; to cover

Chop the onion and garlic finely and soften in 1/4 of the butter until just turning colour. Add the liver, herbs (bay, thyme parsley) and seasoning and fry together over highish heat for about 3 minutes. The livers should be well stiffened and slightly coloured, without becoming leathery. Cool a little then chop very finely, or mince if the quantity is large. (I do this in a blender - IMH). Pass through a fine sieve (not if blended) and work in remaining butter, well creamed (in blender, just add and whirl a bit). Add the brandy, check the seasoning and then fill into a china pot. Smooth over the top and cover with a layer of clarified butter.

Recipe "Cordon Bleu cookbook" Hume & Downes Mmed IMH c/o Golam BBS Fido 2:320/116.14

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Food? At first I thought this was about a bald spot on Ian's head, and now it begins to look like a discussion of a small furry canine?

Seriously though, we've been doing a wonderful quick pate with chicken livers for years. Quick saute chicken livers, place in a blender warm then add about two sticks of melted butter, a dollop of cognac and maybe a sprig of fresh parsley. Chill and enjoy.

Ed - good quick recipe. but I use a shot of Calvados - the flavour works very well with the pate, and grind coarse peppercorns on top.

Salut Ian;

I really liked the more free form version :>)) Gives me lots of room to swing my elbows.

Salut/Hi Chuck Reid,

le/on Tue, 14 Oct 2003 09:59:12 -0400, tu disais/you said:-

I guessed that might be your response! Makes no odds to me if anyone wants to very/improve/play with any recipes I post, though when it's a recipe of my own, I'd prefer it if people would try it _exactly_ as writ just once. The terrine that John and Josh have asked for the recipe of is a case in point. I've been fiddling with this for about 6 years now, first getting the types and proportions of the meats right to my taste, then the seasonings and finally the texture. I'm pretty happy with it now, and all I ask is that if anyone passes it on as "Ian's", they respect the recipe as it is - by all means adding "Chuck's comment - add more pepper and use cider insteads of wine " or whatever.

The only point I get twitchy about is if I post a recipe for a great classic. As I said one in another place "You can cook shoe leather in axle grease if you like, and call it what you like. BUT if you post the recipe under the name of "Coq au Vin", I will point out that with neither c*ck nor wine, it _isn't_ "Coq au Vin"." So if I post a recipe for a great classic dish, if you don't want to try it unchanged, fine, but don't call it by the classic name.

Anyway, I'm glad you enjoyed my "free form version."