Pâté Forestière 

This pâté forestière, or chicken liver pâté with porcini mushrooms, is extremely easy to make and is a delicious starter, lunch or snack.

Rich, smooth and creamy, it's flavoured with plently of garlic and brandy, that's perfect for an elegant get together.

Make it in advance too, for a gift or fuss free entertaining.

Bon appétit.

Jump to:

• ❤️ Why you will love this dish
• 🥘 Ingredients
• 🍽 Equipment
• 🔪 Instructions
• ⏲️Cooking time
• 🥗 Side Dishes
• 🥙 Substitutions
• 🍣 Storage
• 🍱 Prepare in Advance
• 📋 Recipe
• French Appetisers
• 💬 Comments

❤️ Why you will love this dish

• Great as a gift.
• Budget friendly.
• Easy to make.
• Make in advance.
• Perfect as a starter, snack, buffet or lunch.

🤔FAQs

I am absolutely mad about porcini mushrooms, as they have such an intense woody and aromatic flavour that is reminiscent of truffles.

Although they are often thought of as an Italian mushroom, they are actually found across Europe and are very popular in French cuisine.

They make stuffings really stand out, give a real punch to sauces and the rehydrating liquid turns into the most amazing stock. Needless to say, I could probably find at least a hundred ways to use them, as a substitute in my .

So, it made perfect sense for me to use them in my version of pâté forestière, not to be confused with pasta with mushrooms, as it can be translated.

The main components of this dish are chicken livers, which have a mild taste and are very economical to buy. The whole dish is made in less than 20 minutes too, so it's great when time is short.

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🥘 Ingredients

• Chicken livers - these are readily available at low cost in most supermarkets either fresh or frozen. Defrost ovenight in the refrigerator before using.
• Shallot - these are milder and sweeter than an onion. I prefer to use the long shallots, as they are much less fiddly to peel than the small round ones.
• Garlic - garlic cloves rather than powder or granules.
• Butter - ideally unsalted butter for the parfait and for the clarified butter. If you only have salted, take care to only add seasoning to taste.
• Thyme - fresh sprigs of thyme.
• Nutmeg - ideally freshly ground nutmeg.
• Allspice - ground allspice. This is a Jamaica pepper and not to be confused with mixed spice, which is normally used in sweet baked goods.
• Brandy - your choice of brandy or Cognac.
• Seasoning - flaked sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Mushrooms - dried porcini mushrooms are now easily available in supermarkets or online.

The printable recipe card with full ingredient quantities and instructions can be found at the bottom of the article.

🍽 Equipment

• food processor
• sharp knife
• chopping board
• kitchen paper
• colander
• sieve
• frying pan or skillet
• small saucepan
• large bowl
• 4 serving dishes / ramekins / loaf tin lined with cling film

🔪 Instructions

Peel and finely chop the shallot and garlic.

Put the mushrooms in a small bowl and cover with the boiling water for about 10 minutes.

They should rehydrate and become double the size.

Use a sieve to drain the mushrooms and then use some kitchen paper to remove any excess moisture.

Chop the mushrooms.

💭 Top Tip

• I always retain the mushroom liquid to use in sauces. Sometimes the mushrooms can be gritty, so it's best to run the liquid through muslin or kitchen paper to remove any grit.

Melt a tablespoon of the butter in a large frying pan and add the finely chopped shallot over a medium heat for about 3 minutes. The shallot should be transparent and not coloured.

Add the of garlic and stir for a minute.

Transfer the shallot mixture to the bowl of a food processor.

Wash the chicken livers well in a colander or sieve to remove any blood.

Trim off any membranes and green areas as these can be bitter.

Cut the pieces into an even size and leave to drain on kitchen paper.

⏲️Cooking time

Add 40 grams of butter to the pan and melt over a medium heat.

Season the chicken livers with salt and pepper.

Next, tip in the chicken livers and stir regularly for 2-3 minutes. The chicken livers should still be pink inside, but not bloody.

Pour in the brandy and cook for a couple of minutes more until the liquid has almost evaporated.

Put everything from the pan into a food processor and blend together with the spices and the leaves stripped from the thyme stalk.

Melt the butter in a small saucepan or in 10 second bursts at full power in the microwave.

Add to the mix with the motor running. You could also do this in a blender if you prefer.

Transfer the mix to a bowl and stir in the chopped porcini mushrooms.

Pour the mixture into pots or ramekins and leave to cool before adding the clarified butter then refrigerate to set for an hour.

I've used 4 spring clip pots, but you can use any container you like. If you want to serve this in slices line a container, such as a loaf tin, with cling film and don't add the clarified butter.

Clarified butter, also known as ghee, has a high smoking point which means that you can use it like you would do a vegetable oil.

• Put the butter in a small saucepan and heat gently until it melts.
• Use a spoon to skim off any foam or bits that rise to the surface and discard.
• Next, pour the liquid butter into another container, being careful not to let any of the sediment at the bottom to go with it. I prefer to use a separating jug for this.
• The clarified butter is now ready to use.

Serve at room temperature.

🥗 Side Dishes

• Red onion chutney
• Cornichons - these are small cucumber pickles
• Green salad
• Fougasse Bread
• Carrot and Celeriac Remoulade
• Fennel and Pear Salad with Blue Cheese
• Tomato and Onion Salad
• Pear and Rocket Salad
• Courgette Salad
• Broad Bean Salad

🥙 Substitutions

• Shallot - use a small sweet onion or red onion.
• Brandy - omit it or use sherry or Madeira wine.

🍣 Storage

• Refrigerator - - store covered in the fridge for up to 5 days.
• Freezer - - store in an airtight container and freeze for up to a month. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator.
• To reheat

🍱 Prepare in Advance

• Make a day or 2 in advance and store in the fridge. Discard any leftovers after a total of 5 days.

💭 Top tip

• Don't overcook the livers - they should still be pink on the inside. Liver has a tendency to become dry and tough if they are cooked for too long.
• Take the pâté forestière out of the fridge for 30 minutes before serving to get the full flavour.

Let me know what you think in the comments or you can post a picture and tag me on Twitter @chezlereve, Instagram @chezlerevefrancais, or Facebook @chezlerevefrancais

More French Starter Recipes

• Duck and Pork Terrine
• Chicken Terrine
• Game Terrine
• Salade Gourmande
• Chicken Wing Confit
• Tuna Stuffed Tomatoes
• Celery and Leek Soup
• Cream of Onion Soup
• Courgette and Tomato Soup
• Crab Pâté
• Chicken Liver Parfait
• Tuna Pâté 
• Prawn Tartare
• Lobster mayonnaise
• Smoked Salmon and Avocado Starter
• Prawn Crab and Lobster Bisque
• French Onion Soup

📋 Recipe

Food Safety

• Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat.
• Wash hands after touching raw meat.
• Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods.
• Never leave cooking food unattended.
• Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds.
• Always have good ventilation when using gas.

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