Terra Americana

I feel a bit shy about admitting that I like liver.  Actually that's not quite right...I love liver. It is not something you freely admit in public.  Unless of course it is the foodie sort of public that is hard to find in the little burg of western MA where I reside.  To me liver dishes represent a rustic retreat, a way to slow down, relax and enjoy the finer things in life.

In my dreams I go on picnics with the likes of James Beard, MFK Fisher and Julia Child.  Under a water color painted sky we talk about this technique and that and eat lots of pickled vegetables, cheeses and pate...  In my reality, while the men are watching the run up to the big game, my mother and I will crack open that bottle of white Burgundy, break apart the just baked crusty country style bread and enjoy Dorie's version of  Chicken Liver Gateaux with pickled onions while we await the next episode of Downton Abbey.  Some one has to be civilized!

While I stuck to Dories technique, I wanted to make it a bit lighter.  So this is how it went.  I used;

• 1 cup Soy Cream
• 3 eggs, whipped
• 1/8 cup hard apple cider
• 1 tbsp Herbs de Provence
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp White Pepper
• 1 1/2 lb Chicken livers, cleaned of veigns

I blended the whipped eggs, soy cream and a friend's homemade hard cider.  I thne folded in the herbs, salt and pepper.  When I combined 1/2 lb of chicken livers I felt the batter was far to liquid for a cake of sorts.  Eventually it took 1 1/2lb to get the recipe to a more appropriate consistency.

I buttered 4 ramekins and lined a loaf dish with parchment.  Filled each 3/4 of the way full.  Placed them in a roasting pan that I then filled with boiling water to the point where it was 1/2 way up the sides of the dishes.

I baked the Gateux in an oven preheated to 350 f for 40 minutes.  They are done when a cake tester comes out clean.

I serve them on beds of spinach dressed with Honey Mustard.  Pickled onions christen the dish. The end result is a cross between hearty liver & onions and elegant pate. 

Adapted from Dorie Greenspan’s Around My French Table.

More from this classic cookbook:

• Lyonnaise garlic and herb cheese
• Navarin Printanier
• Roasted Salmon and Lentils
• Cheese Soufle
• Sardine Pate

Photo Credit: Julie T Cecchini