I have always loved pâté, and despite knowing it comes from liver, which for some could be quite a squeamish thought, I have never really been put off.  However the idea of  making pâté is not something I have been keen to try – until now that is… Recently I have been reading that organ meats are very underrated as a nutrition source in our modern diets, so with this in mind decided to give a recipe a try, especially as most shop (and restaurant) bought recipes are full of cream. You can use can use pork, lamb, calves or duck liver, and I chose Gressingham duck liver as that was the best quality product I could find in my supermarket.  You really should go organic – do you want to be eating the liver of a poorly farmed animal???

Most pâté recipes use butter, so here is my version, based on grass fed girl‘s – it is entirely legit with coconut oil instead.  This.  Was.  Delicious!

Ingredients

(serves 4, for a main lunch portion, far more for a dinner party starter / party buffet option)

• 1/4 un-melted cup coconut oil, and a little extra for frying.
• ½ onion diced
• 3 cloves sliced garlic
• Himalayan salt to taste
• cracked black pepper
• 350-400g duck liver
• Herbs – fresh thyme, dried rosemary, 1 bay leaf  (use as much or as little as taste-buds desire)
• 1 tsp grainy mustard (choose a brand that doesn’t have any added sugar)
• 2 Tbsp organic raw apple cider vinegar (or other vinegar such as balsamic would work)
• 1/2 tsp orange essence
• squeeze fresh lemon juice

Method

• Sauté the onion, garlic, salt and pepper in some coconut oil 3- 5 minutes until translucent.
• Add the duck liver to the pan and sauté for 5- 7 more minutes, until browned.
• Add in the herbs, mustard, vinegar, orange essence and lemon juice, allowing the vinegar to cook off.
• Take off the heat, and pour the mixture into the food processor, a bit at a time layering up with the coconut oil.  As the duck mixture is hot, it will melt the coconut oil, so no need to melt it before hand.
• Pulse until the pâté reaches the desired consistency and there are no lumps of un-blended liver.
• Spoon into a ceramic container, and top with fresh cracked black pepper and a sprig of fresh rosemary.  Cover and chill in the fridge (it’s also delicious warm straight outta the blender)
• Serve with crudités such as celery, cucumber, carrot or chicory leaves.
• Will keep in the fridge for a few days.