Fancified Chicken Liver Mousse Recipe

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Our fancified preparation of chicken liver mousse is a refined starter that you'll be proud to serve at your next dinner party. Chicken liver may not be the first thing you think of when someone asks you to make an appetizer for an elegant soirée, but we're here to change that misconception. According to Ksenia Prints of At the Immigrant's Table, liver mousse of all animals is a part of the classic canon of French cuisine. It's so popular that Julia Child included it in her seminal book, Mastering the Art of French Cooking. It's a crucial part of building a charcuterie board and is amazing on toast.

"What turns most people off from liver is the metallic taste, but it's easy to get rid of," says Prints, who grew up eating chopped liver. A simple soak of liver in buttermilk or milk will help solve that problem,. From there, you're well on your way to mastering an indelible part of classic French cooking. We incorporated the woodsy flavor profile of gin into our liver and paired it with black currant jelly for an appetizer that's beautiful and smooth.

To make the chicken liver mousse itself, you'll need softened unsalted butter, shallots, crushed juniper berries, fresh thyme, cleaned and deveined chicken livers, salt, white pepper, and heavy cream. For the black currant glaze, you'll need black currant jelly, gin, and fresh thyme leaves. For serving, stock up on dark rye bread, sliced into batons, along with some olive oil and flaky sea salt for seasoning. Finally, for the true French country experience, don't forget a side of cornichons.

Make the liver base: Heat 2 tablespoons butter in a saute pan over medium heat.

Add the shallots and cook until golden brown, about 5 minutes.

Add the juniper berries and thyme sprigs and cook for 1 minute, until fragrant.

Increase the heat to medium-high and add the chicken livers, cooking until the exterior is browned but the interior remains pink, approximately 2–3 minutes per side.

Remove the thyme sprigs and transfer the mixture to a food processor.

Add the remaining butter, salt, and white pepper. Process until smooth, about 3 minutes, and set aside to cool.

Once cooled to room temperature, fold in the whipped cream. Taste and adjust for seasoning.

Transfer to a serving vessel, leaving ¼-inch space at the top. Smooth the surface with an offset spatula and chill for a minimum of 4 hours.

For the glaze, warm the black currant jelly with the gin and thyme leaves in a small saucepan until just melted.

Cool the glaze slightly before pouring it over the chilled mousse, and return to the refrigerator for 30 minutes to set.

Preheat the oven to 400 F.

Brush the rye bread slices with olive oil and sprinkle with flaky salt.

Toast until golden, about 5 minutes.

Serve the mousse with toasted bread and, if desired, cornichons.

With this chicken liver mousse recipe, we tried to take classic paté and build on it with woodsy flavors. But, you can easily take this mousse to whatever direction your heart fancies.

For a traditional French take, replace the gin with Armagnac, cognac, or brandy. If you want to avoid alcohol, add a touch of white grape or pomegranate juice instead. Omit the juniper berries and stick to thyme, or sub the white peppercorns for pink to add an unexpected, aromatic, and floral touch. You can also try making the mousse with chicken or duck fat in place of butter.

The black currant jelly can be substituted with any other fruit preserve you like. Our favorites include fig jam with port in the mousse, sour cherry preserves, which pair beautifully with port, or a combination of raspberry jelly and cognac. Of course, you can also remove the jelly altogether.

The best way to serve chicken liver mousse is as part of a charcuterie spread. It will be great as part of a Valentine's Day charcuterie board, for example. Don't skip the toast, even if you're making it for a crowd. Grissini is another simple but good option. 

A good, grainy mustard is a must for a spicy counterpart to chicken liver mousse. You can also place extra black currant jelly on the board to echo the mousse's topping. We love pairing it with cornichons, though you can try other homemade pickles instead  — consider pickled strawberries, for example. 

To break the soft texture, include plenty of dried sausages on your board. Cheeses like Manchego with membrillo are great, as are smoked salmon and lox. Fresh fruit, such as apple slices, red grapes, figs, and blackberries, are also great counterpoints. For wine pairings, acidic whites like Sancerre or a sparkling white wine will be beautiful, as will a good Pinot Noir or cider.