Recipe: Tuscan Chicken liver pate

But with gatherings forbidden during lockdown, I know many who have got out of the habit. This week I am suggesting an easy way back in to hosting - so forget about beef Wellington, whole poached salmon, or seven-hour leg of lamb. The times call for a simpler approach. As so often, the French have a word for it, in fact two words, apéritif dinatoire. I am rather fond of this new element in entertaining à la française, which is fast becoming a tradition.

The French are also famed for les arts de la table. Often translated as the art of formal entertaining, it encompasses so much more, including what to cook, how to serve it, table settings, placement, dining etiquette even the conventions of dinner table conversation and gifts to the host. So it is perhaps surprising that they have devised something as informal as this.Serve both hot and cold dishes at your supper including cheese puffs fresh from the oven (Image: Frances Bissell)

Dining aperitif? Cocktail supper? Aperitif dinner? It doesn't translate well, but in some ways, our old fashioned cheese and wine party comes closest. Essentially, it means that having partaken of said apéritif dinatoire, one doesn't need to go for dinner afterwards. Several times recently this is how we have entertained; in fact, not even Chez Bissell as I prepared 'ambulatory' aperitifs, carrying a tray of nibblies round to neighbours.

What to serve and what to serve it in? The French love verrines, food served in small glasses, which might be chilled or hot soup or multi-coloured layered mousses, sweet or savoury.  I use 1960's glass espresso cups for miniature desserts such as tiramisu, fruit fool and chocolate mousse or shot glasses for savouries.

Quail eggs with celery salt, cubes of feta with confit fig, cured salmon wrapped round a cucumber baton and hot-smoked salmon brandade are some house favourites and can be prepared well in advance.

Recently I adapted the famous jam penny recipe to use with the hot-smoked salmon spread and cucumber; so easy, so pretty and so delicious. Try to find thin or medium sliced bread and use a small pastry cutter the size of a slice of cucumber. I flake the hot-smoked salmon and blend it with butter, lemon zest, a little juice and some nutmeg. Once you have spread the bread and added a slice of cucumber, stamp out the 'pennies', place side by side as close as possible and cover with several layers of damp paper towel until required.

A rich, dark Tuscan chicken liver pâté is perfect for such an occasion, to serve on crostini or crackers. It is relatively inexpensive, a little goes a long way and it freezes well, so worth making a large batch.A chicken liver pate with a glass of wine will go down well at any gathering (Image: Patrick Skinner)

Variations on hummous with pita and crudités are easy to prepare; I like to mix the chickpeas and tahini with roasted peeled red peppers. Bagna cauda served in Italy as a convivial antipasto, with much reaching and dipping, is a perfect dish for accompanying a platter of crudités. Simply crush anchovies and garlic, stir into extra virgin olive oil, heat and serve bubbling, on a spirit lamp or similar.

I like to serve one or two warm or hot items and have been known to dash down the road with a brown paper bag of cheese puffs or snail and wild garlic empanadas straight out of the pan. For larger gatherings I suggest adding a cheese platter and charcuterie board. I draw the line at a butter board - one of the dafter recent culinary brainwaves, but pretty as a picture which is obviously its raison d'être.

Tuscan chicken liver pâté

(Makes about 500 g)

Ingredients:

400 g chicken livers

100 ml milk

1 shallot, peeled and finely chopped

150 g unsalted butter

6 crushed juniper berries

2 teaspoons capers - rinsed

3 or 4 tablespoons red wine

1 tablespoon cognac - optional

Salt

Black pepper

Ground mace or freshly grated nutmeg

Method:

Trim the chicken livers, and put them in a bowl with the milk for an hour. Gently fry the shallot in a little of the butter until soft. Drain, and dry the chicken livers, and add to the frying pan. Fry on a relatively high heat for 8 minutes or so with the juniper berries and capers. Add the wine and let it almost boil away. The chicken livers are nice if removed from the heat while still faintly pink inside. Season, and stir in the cognac while the livers are still hot. The residual heat will evaporate the alcohol. When the chicken livers are cool, put in a food processor with the remaining butter, and process until smooth. Season to taste.

Pack into a serving dish or individual ramekins. Cover with cling film and refrigerate until required. The pâté freezes well, as it is so dense and rich.

Cook's note: allow to come to room temperature before serving with hot toast. For a creamier texture, use more butter. If you reduce the quantity of butter, the mixture will be more crumbly, and less easy to spread.

©Frances Bissell 2022. All rights reserved