Try this adaptable liver pâté from The Ethical Meat Handbook for your charcuterie board

About this recipe

Liver pâté is a classic technique that yields a smooth, deeply flavorful spread, perfect for your charcuterie plate.

It requires little special equipment and is finished quicker than more complicated charcuterie preparations. You'll just need oven-safe molds for the pâté and a food processor, though a meat grinder would yield smoother results.

This recipe comes from Meredith Leigh's The Ethical Meat Handbook 

Hands on time: 1 1/2 hours

Total time: 9-12 hours (includes chilling time)

Ingredients

2 pounds chicken or pork liver 

2 tablespoons garlic, minced

1/4 cup shallot, chopped

1 ounce kosher salt

1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon quatre épices (French four-spice blend)

2 tablespoons flour

1/2 cup cold heavy cream

2 eggs, beaten

2 tablespoons bourbon

Instructions

Slice the liver and par-freeze it by placing it on a sheet pan and putting it in the freezer for 30-45 minutes. 

Oil a pâté pan or two 3-cup loaf pans or terrine molds and line them with plastic wrap. Make sure the wrap extends over the sides of the mold so you can fold it over the top of the pâté for cooking. Mix the salt, pepper, and quatre épices and set aside. 

Assemble a food processor or a meat grinder. In a large bowl, combine the spice mix, garlic, shallot and liver. Grind or process the liver until smooth by passing it through the coarse plate of the meat grinder once, and then 3-4 times through the fine plate, or by processing in a food processor until it is as finely chopped as you can make it. 

Mix the panade by combining the cold cream, flour, bourbon and beaten egg. Stir the panade mixture into the processed liver. If you are working with a food processor, slowly pour the panade in while the machine is running and continue to process the liver until smooth. 

Pour the pâté mixture into the prepared molds, then fold the plastic wrap up over top of them and cover each mold with aluminum foil. Prepare a water bath for baking the pâtés by placing each filled, covered mold into a casserole dish and then filling the casserole with water until the water comes halfway up the sides of the mold pans. 

Bake at 300F until the internal temperature of the pâté is 140F for pork liver and 155F for poultry liver. Remove from the oven and lift the molds out of the water bath to cool. Finish chilling in the fridge, overnight. When ready to serve, turn out of the molds and discard the plastic wrap. Serve with crackers, pickles, and cheeses.