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Mary Berry Chicken Liver Pâté Recipe

Mary Berry Chicken Liver Pâté Recipe

Mary Berry's chicken liver pâté is silky smooth, deeply flavoured with brandy and thyme, and ready in under 30 minutes.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Setting Time 4 hours
Total Time 4 hours 30 minutes
Servings: 6 Portions
Course: Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine: British
Calories: 310
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • Pâté:
  • 500 g chicken livers trimmed and patted dry
  • 150 g unsalted butter — 100g for cooking 50g cold for finishing
  • 4 shallots finely chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves crushed
  • 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
  • 4 tbsp brandy
  • 100 ml double cream
  • 1 tsp Dijon mustard
  • Salt and pepper
  • Pinch of ground mace or nutmeg
  • Butter Seal:
  • 75 g unsalted butter clarified
  • Fresh thyme sprigs and black peppercorns to decorate
  • To Serve:
  • Sourdough toast cornichons, good chutney

Method
 

  1. Trim livers — remove all green patches and stringy tissue. Pat completely dry. Season generously.
  2. Melt 50g butter over medium heat. Cook shallots 5–6 minutes until soft. Add garlic and thyme — 1 minute.
  3. Increase to medium-high. Add remaining 50g butter. When foaming, add livers in a single layer. Cook 2–3 minutes per side until golden outside, still pink inside.
  4. Add brandy — bubble 1–2 minutes until almost evaporated. Add cream and mustard — stir 1 minute. Remove from heat.
  5. Transfer everything to a food processor. Add cold cubed butter and mace. Blend 2–3 minutes until completely smooth. Pass through a fine sieve for the silkiest result. Taste and season generously.
  6. Pour into ramekins or a terrine. Smooth surfaces. Pour clarified butter over each — thin layer. Decorate with thyme and peppercorns. Set 5 minutes at room temperature. Refrigerate at least 4 hours — overnight is better.
  7. Serve with sourdough toast, cornichons, and chutney.

Notes

Trim livers carefully — every green patch removed is a trace of bitterness removed.
Do not overcook — pink in the centre is correct. Grey all through is overdone.
Be generous with brandy and butter — both are essential to this pâté.
Blend for 3 full minutes for the silkiest texture.
Season generously — cold dulls the perception of salt.
The clarified butter seal keeps the pâté for 5 days and prevents it from turning grey.
Make 1 to 2 days ahead — the flavour deepens and the texture firms beautifully.
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