I love paté but hate the look of all those unidentifiable ingredients listed on packs of the  shop bought stuff. I’d much rather make fresh paté myself without preservatives (it tastes so good it doesn’t last very long anyway). Different recipes will suggest you use different spirits or fortified alcohol to give it an extra richness. I have used Calvados because that’s what I had in stock, but you could use brandy, madeira or dash or two of dry sherry (but the paté is also good without any alcohol).

Ingredients

350g chicken livers, trimmed of fat
200g butter
2 x shallots or 1 small onion, finely chopped
2 x cloves of garlic, crushed
75 ml of Calvados, brandy or madeira
1 x tsp fresh thyme
Salt and pepper to season
1 x bay leaf

Method

1. Melt 150g of the better in a pan, add the chicken livers and cook for two minutes.

2. Add the shallots/onions, garlic, thyme, Calvados and seasoning and cook for another two minutes, still on a low heat. Be careful not to overcook the chicken livers or they will be too tough.

3. Blend the whole mixture until smooth and pour into a small dish.

4. Place the bay leaf on the paté. Gently heat the remaining butter and pour the clarified part of the butter (not the solids which will form at the bottom of the melted butter) over the bay leaf and the paté. This will form a seal for the paté and give it a neat finish.