Duck Liver Paté

Background info: Organ meats have been prized by traditional cultures throughout history, but humans only started raising fowl for organ meats, such as the liver, around 2,500 B.C. in Egypt. Popularized in the late 18th century by French chef Jean-Joseph Clause, pâté remains a popular organ-based dish worldwide.

Dr. Weston A. Price found all traditional diets he studied contained ten times the amount of animal-based, fat-soluble vitamins (such as vitamins A and D) compared to the Western diet, likely due in part to their inclusion of organ meats. Dr. Price called these nutrients “activators” or “catalysts” and considered them to be a key component of a healthy diet.

—Price-Pottenger

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My absolute favorite way to introduce new ancestral cuisine students to the joys of organ meat, as even the most die-hard liver hater is sure to appreciate this creamy and decadent spread.

Ingredients

2-4 shallots or one onion, diced
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons thyme, rosemary, and/or sage leaves, finely minced
4 slices of bacon
1 pound duck (or chicken) livers and hearts combined
Generous splash of brandy
½ cup chicken stock
1 tablespoon French mustard
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
½ teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated
¼ cup butter
¼ cup crème fraîche (see below)
Melted duck fat for capping paté
Herb sprigs or edible flowers for garnish

Directions

Fry bacon in a medium temperature skillet, reserving the fat. Sauté the shallots/onion, garlic, and herbs in some of the reserved fat. When golden and fragrant, remove from the pan. Add more of the reserved fat and then the organs to the pan, and cook until the outside is brown, but the inside is still slightly pink. Remove and set aside to cool with the onion/herb mixture. Deglaze the pan with brandy and add the chicken stock, then turn up the heat under the skillet and reduce the liquid by half.
Transfer cooled livers and onion/herb mixture to a food processor, along with the pan juice.
Add butter, crème fraîche, salt, pepper, and nutmeg and process until desired consistency is achieved.
Spoon into tureens, pour melted duck fat on top, and garnish with herb sprigs or edible flowers.
Cover securely and chill.
Serve on crackers.

Crème fraîche

Combine 1 pint raw or grassfed cream with 1-2 tablespoons of buttermilk in a jar and culture at room temperature for 24-48 hours.

About the Author

Annie Dru attended the University of California, San Diego, and has studied the art of nutrition for over 25 years. She teaches a local series of classes on food preparation based on the research of Weston A. Price, DDS, and is a member ofthe Price-Pottenger advisory board. She has lectured at San Diego State University and the University of California, Santa Barbara. See her YouTube presentation on the “PricePottenger” channel, and visit her website at www.lardmouth.com. Annie’s DVD Easy to Make Lacto-Fermented Foods is available from PPNF. To order: price-pottenger.org/store or 619-462-7600.