Elk Liver Pâté Recipes

VENISON PATE

Steps:

• The night before, use 4 cups milk to soak the butchered livers.
• In a small container, cover the bread with the remaining milk and soak for a minimum of 30 minutes.
• Drain, dry, salt and pepper the livers.
• Preheat a saute pan to the point where oil smokes slightly on contact. Add the canola oil and livers to the pan and brown both sides lightly. Remove to drain and cool.
• Let the pan cool slightly, and then add the shallots and garlic. Gently sweat until translucent. Add the brandy, cook off the alcohol set aside.
• Squeeze the bread to remove excess milk. Place the bread in a food processor. Add the livers, shallots and garlic, any liquid and scrapings from the pan and the eggs. Pulse until the contents are still chunky, but relatively consistent.
• In large mixing bowl, combine the venison, veal, dried cherries, pistachios, ginger powder, allspice, pink salt, kosher salt and pepper, as well as the contents of the food processor. Mix well with hands.
• Place a small amount of the mixture in plastic wrap, twisting to form a water-tight ball. Drop in simmering water until cooked through. Cool in ice water, and taste for seasoning.
• Adjust seasoning as necessary.
• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• Line a pate mold (or small bread pan) with plastic wrap. Fill with the pate mix, seal the top with plastic wrap and cover with foil.
• Fill a larger cake pan with boiling water to roughly 1 1 1/2 inches. Place the pate in the water bath. Cook to an internal temperature of 165 degrees F, about 1 hour.
• Remove the foil and place an equal size pan or lid over the top of the pate and add weight (soup cans, brick, etc...) to help compress the pate. Place in the refrigerator overnight.
• Slice 1/4-inch to 1/2-inch-thick slices and serve with mustard and crusty bread.