I have half a kg of chicken liver in my refrigerator and I need to be creative around this.
Of course, I can make Pâté or give it to my neighbours’ pets, but I really like livers: duck, goose, chicken and pig. (O, the last sentence makes me feel so barbaric). Anyway, I like foie gras, too, and besides the texture of the fatty liver, I like the way it is cooked. And so, I tried cooking the chicken liver like you would cook foie gras, and learned something new.
Firstly, I realized, unlike the fatty liver from the goose, the chicken liver is not that fat, and though we normally do not add oil to foie gras as fat can be rendered from it, chicken livers don’t really behave the same way. Fortunately, I used a non-stick pan and it worked out well. So, I will either do the same again, or add just a little oil to give the corn flour a crisp.
Secondly, I was too lazy to remove the membrane from the liver, which should have yielded a smoother texture should I have bothered. But I didn’t mind the membrane and my lunch partner, my daughter, loved it this way.
So, I chose to accompany my imitation foie gras with caramelized apples and a mesclun salad. A nice light meal that I am happy to document, and will definitely do again when we have chicken livers.
Foie Gras-wannabe Salad
Ingredients
- 100 g Chicken liver remove as much veins as can see without mashing it up
- A pinch Salt
- A pinch Black Pepper
- 1/2 tsp Corn starch
- 1 Apple cored and sliced into eighths
- 1 Tbsp Raw Sugar
- 1 tsp Butter
- A handful of salad leaves
Instructions
- Season the liver with the salt, pepper and coat it with the corn flour.
- On a medium heated pan, place the butter and then the sliced apples. When the apples are softened, add the sugar. Takes about 10 minutes.
- Set aside both the sauce and the apples.
- On a non-stick pan, pan fry the seasoned liver on medium heat, until the livers are lightly browned.
- Remove and arrange the apples on a warm plate with the salad.
- Place the livers on the apples and top it with the apple sauce.
