Dinner Party Hors d'Oeuvres - Chicken Liver Pate and Caramelized Onions, St. Andre Cheese and Fig Butter

We had friends over for dinner last night and I made a nice little appetizer spread. My sister in law, Katie, gave Jamie this slate cheese board which is so fun if you have chalk because you can write out what everything is. I made this delicious chicken liver pate (but with half the butter - still amazing) and wanted to serve it with caramelized and slightly pickled onions, a la Vinegar Hill House. Yum! It was so delicious. Onion recipe below. I also picked up some fig butter from Trader Joe's and paired that with a wedge of St. Andre cheese and served it all with thin crostini. 

Chicken Liver Pâté

Chicken liver pâté sounds kind of fancy and scary, but it's actually super cheap and pretty simple to make. There are  very easy versions, like this, and this one is slightly more complicated. It has a wonderful flavor and texture and is a real treat. Don't eat this every day or you'll get gout. But for special occasions, definitely whip some up to share with friends - as long as those friends like chicken liver pâté. (It is an acquired taste.) I got the recipe from MarthaStewart.com and it's great.

See, $2.19 for more than enough chicken livers.

Ingredients:

15 tablespoons (1 7/8 sticks) unsalted butter

3/4 pound chicken livers, rinsed and drained

Easy Chicken Liver Pâté

My brother-in-law Austen got me this awesome cookbook for Christmas - Home Made by Yvette van Boven.

The chicken liver pâté looked good, and easy. I'd never made pâté but always wanted to, so now I can check it off my list! It's simple, cheap, and so rich and creamy. Next time I may use a little less cream and maybe add some more herbs, but this is great to have with cornichons, some jam or chutney, and warm bread. I served it with my tomato jam (and new favorite condiment) and it was fab.

Ingredients:
1/2 lb chicken livers
1 1/2 tablespoons butter
1 shallot, minced
1/2 cup cream
2 tsp dark rum or brandy (it calls for brandy, but I didn't have any, so I substituted dark rum)