In Ayoe’s family it is tradition to eat liver pâté around Christmas time (and also some other times a year).
We make it either from lamb or pig liver, or do a mix of both. In this recipe we use pig liver, but you can substitute as you like.
If you have an aversion for liver, stay calm, take a breath and try this recipe anyways. It is not like fried liver and with the many options for adding different flavours to the pâté, you can create a very delicious dish for yourself and your family.
Ingredients
1kg liver, pig or lamb
1 liter whipping cream
1 liter milk
150 g butter
12 tablespoons flour
4 eggs
1 large onion
6 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons peber
Options for flavours
For the one we have in the pictures we added juice of one orange and 10 sprigs of fresh thyme (stems removed and leaves chopped).
You can also make it even more Christmassy by adding crushed cloves (make sure to only add a little bit since the flavour is quite strong).
Chopped and fried bacon bits
Extra onion
Anchovies
Chopped and fried mushrooms
Be creative and find your own favourite flavour!
Directions
In a meat grinder, run the liver through on the fine setting and finish with the onions. In the bowl add the spices and eggs and mix well.
In a large pot, melt the butter and let it finish bubbling, but don’t let it turn brown. Add the flour one tablespoon at a time and mix well. Add the milk and whipping cream gradually and mix well, making sure you get all the lumps out before adding more milk and cream.
Once all the milk and cream has been added, while continuously stirring, bring the pot to a boil and boil for 1 minute. The mix will become thicker, which is what we want.
Pour the milk mixture into the liver mixture and stir till combined.
Pour into 1 liter (2 lbs) containers (will fill up approximately 7 containers) till around 1 cm (1/2 inch) from the top.
Bake in the oven for about 60-70 minutes at 180 C (350 F) in a sheet pan with water in the bottom to create steam in the oven.
Check the liver pâtés with a toothpick to see if is has finished baking.
It should be firmer, but not completely solid as the mixture is quite wet.
Serve with fried sliced mushrooms and fried bacon strips on top of freshly baked rye bread.
Great dish for your family Christmas lunch.
You can freeze the finished pâtés and reheat in the oven or in a pot with water in the bottom.
-Enjoy!