Chicken Liver Pâté and Creamy Salmon Dip

It is Abbey’s birthday next week, and I have been drawn as her birthday food provider.

I am just devising the menu now.  Don’t tell Abbey.

I shall do:

• Cake
• crudités and crisps with creamy salmon dip
• crackers,cream cheese and smoked salmon
• smoked oyster vols au vent
• feta  and pickled pepper on toothpicks,
• crackers and pâté, using my own pâté recipe, last made FSM only knows when, back in the dark ages.

The easiest recipe in the world:

I borrowed it from Jennifer, amended and adjusted it, and substituted whisky for brandy. You can also substitute marmalade for the honey I am told. I have still not yet tried that.   UPDATE, due to Muslim considerations, there will be no whisky in it, so I have postponed making it until the night before, and I just may try the marmalade alternative…

Pâté

• 500g trimmed chicken livers
• 50g  butter
• 1 shallot (peeled and chopped)
• 2 tablespoons pine nuts
• 1 tsp  thyme
• 2 or 3 cloves chopped garlic
• 2  tsp honey
• 1 tablespoon Irish whisky
• Freshly ground Rock salt and black pepper
• 2 tablespoons melted  butter with a teaspoon of whisky

1. Trim the livers of icky bits.
2. Melt 50g butter in a heavy-based fry pan over  medium heat.
3. Add shallot and pine nuts, sauté until soft but not browned.
4. Add thyme, garlic and livers and cook gently, stirring occasionally, till livers have turned pale brown and  firm but are still a litlle pink inside.
5. Stir in honey, whisky and seasoning
6. simmer a couple of minutes.
7. Pour  into blender or food processor and purée
8. Sieve to remove sinews.
9. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary and pour into a small bowl
10. top with melted whisky butter
11. Cover  and chill
12. Use within 2 or 3 days.

Creamy Salmon Dip

1 pot sour cream

1/2 pot spreadable cream cheese

3 or 4 tablespoons Best Brand mayonnaise

2 or 3 tablespoons thickened cream

1/2 packet french onion soup powder

1 small tin pink salmon mashed and bones removed

50g smoked salmon chopped into smallish pieces

1 teaspoon lime juice

dash of Angostura

pepper and chilli to taste.  (should not need salt)

Mix well, chill and sprinkle with paprika.

DIP!