Recipe: Pasture-raised Chicken Liver Mousse with Sumac Pickled Onions
This is more than your regular chopped liver. It's smooth and elegant, with a garnish balancing out the richness of the mousse.
This recipe takes simple chopped liver and puts it into a tuxedo and top hat. When you go to the trouble to source the best possible local ingredients and pay attention to each of the simple steps, you are rewarded with a sophisticated little starter for almost any meal. Even the cognac I use is a step above what most people consider “cooking booze.” Each and every ingredient plays an important supporting role to the livers which is why you will want to locate a good high butterfat content butter to assist in the silky texture that a mousse is known for.
There are many ways to serve the mousse with garnishes. Some people like a sweet accompaniment like a fruit chutney or even berry preserves; others like the crunch of cornichons, but I prefer the counterpoint of pickled red onions to balance out the richness of the mousse. And with a couple of lightly toasted slices of baguette you are ready to settle in for a super elegant experience — no top hat required.
Pasture-raised Chicken Liver Mousse with Sumac Pickled Onions
12 oz organic pastured chicken lives, trimmed of any ducts or connective tissue
1 large shallot, peeled and thinly sliced
2 T. butter for cooking the livers plus 4 T. more for blending in the food processor
1 T. minced fresh sage
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
2-3 T. Cognac — Remy Martin, VSOP
¼ cup pastured heavy cream
Freshly grated nutmeg
Salt and pepper to taste
Season the cleaned livers lightly with salt and pepper. Heat a large sauté pan with the butter, add the shallots, sage and thyme and cook while stirring until shallots are softened. Add the seasoned livers and cook about 2 minutes per side until they are starting to firm up but are still nice and pink in the middle.
Transfer the livers and all the contents of the pan to a food processor. Add the cream and butter and cognac and process until smooth. Season to taste with nutmeg, salt and pepper.
I like to go one step smoother and pass the mousse through a fine mesh strainer — just a little more work for a really big textural payoff.
Pickled Red Onions with Sumac:
1 red onion, peeled and thinly sliced
1 T. turbinado sugar
2 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon orange zest
½ teaspoon coriander seed, lightly crushed
½ teaspoon cured sumac (optional)
Balsamic vinegar to coat the onions — approximately half a cup
Combine red onions with salt, sugar, orange zest, coriander seed, sumac and balsamic vinegar.
Let age several hours
The onions will keep nicely in the fridge for a couple of weeks.
