Chicken Liver Pate

I never understood why you'd buy this from the supermarket or deli. It's easy and it's amazing when it's not full of processed rubbish.

Ingredients

• 350g chicken livers, cleaned
• 150g butter, diced
• 1 shallot, finely chopped
• 1 tsp thyme leaves, finely chopped
• 75ml madeira or sherry
• 75ml double cream
• 0.5 tsp salt
• 1 allspice berry, ground
• 0.25 tsp ground ginger

Method

1. Cut the livers into roughly 1.5cm pieces, and heat a knob of butter in a frying pan over a medium heat. Add the shallot and thyme and soften, then turn up the heat to medium-high, add the livers and saute for a couple of minutes until browned on the outside but still pink inside. Tip into a food processor.
2. Add the madeira to the pan and boil until reduced to a couple of tablespoons, pour into the food processor.
3. Add the cream, salt and spices and whizz until smooth.
4. Add 100g of the butter, and whizz again. Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary.
5. Pass through a sieve into a serving dish and chill for half an hour.
6. Melt the remaining 50g butter and pour on top, then refrigerate until set.