Liver pâté

By Birgitta

A winning all-round pâté that is very quick and easy to make. It works with any good liver, as long as it's fresh, fresh, fresh.

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall

Ingredients

• 750 g fresh, free-range liver (pork, venison, chicken, rabbit or mixture)
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 1 k nob butter
• 150 ml whole milk
• 1 tbsp double cream
• 100 g fresh breadcrumbs
• 250 g minced pork
• A splash of port
• 1/2 clove garlic, crushed
• A few sage leaves, chopped
• 1 sprig thyme, picked and chopped
• A pinch ground mace
• A pinch cayenne pepper
• 5 g salt
• Unsmoked streaky bacon rashers, stretched with the back of a knife
• Freshly ground black pepper

Details

Servings 2
Adapted from guardian.co.uk

Preparation

Step 1

Slice the liver, trimming off and discarding any tough membranes or ventricles, then chop roughly. Gently sweat the onion in the butter until soft and translucent - about 10 minutes. Warm the milk with the cream, add the breadcrumbs and leave to soak for five minutes.

Preheat the oven to 170C/325F/ gas mark 3. Put everything except the bacon into a food processor and pulse for several bursts until thoroughly mixed (make it as coarse or smooth as you like).

Pile the mixture into one large or two medium terrine dishes lined with the stretched bacon. Cover with their lids or a double layer of buttered foil, place in a roasting tin and pour in enough boiling water to come halfway up the sides of the terrines.

Put in the oven for an hour and a quarter to an hour and three-quarters, depending on the size of the dish. The pâté is done when it comes away from the side of the dish and is firm to the touch.

Remove from the roasting tin and press with a weighted board, or similar, while cooling. Serve with crusty bread and a good fruity chutney. The pâté will keep in the fridge for at least two weeks; it freezes well, too.