• 1 lb chicken livers, trimmed of fat & sinew

For Marinade

• 2-3 tbsp golden sherry

For Cooking

• 1½ tsp butter
• 1 medium shallot, minced
• just under 1 tbsp golden sherry
• dash of apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
• salt
• cracked black pepper

For Gelatin

• 1 cup golden sherry - divided as ¼ & ¾ cup
• 1 envelope gelatin

Optional Garnish

• cornichon pickle, sliced lengthwise

Serving Suggestions

• crusty bread
• crackers
• cornichon pickles

Marinate Chicken Livers

1. Wash and clean chicken livers. Trim off excess fat
2. Place livers in a glass container and coat with 2-3 tbsp golden sherry
3. Cover with plastic wrap and let marinate in the refrigerator overnight

Cook Shallots & Chicken Livers

1. The next day melt butter in a large frying pan (big enough to hold all of the chicken livers) over medium heat
2. Add shallots and cook until soft and translucent, about 3-4 minutes
3. Remove chicken livers from the refrigerator and drain off the marinade
4. Add chicken livers to the pan in a single layer and cook until firm, but still slightly pink, 4-8 minutes
5. Remove livers from pan to a cutting board, leaving any liquid in the pan
6. When chicken livers are cool enough to handle, rough chop into small pieces and return to the pan
7. Reduce heat to medium-low and add just under 1 tbsp golden sherry to the pan
8. Add a dash of apple cider vinegar or lemon juice and gently mash livers with a spatula to your desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper to taste
9. Remove from heat and place in a small bowl or mold. Push down gently with a spoon or spatula to remove air bubbles and then smooth out the surface with a spoon
10. At this point, the liver is ready to eat, so the next step of making the sherry gelatin for the top is purely aesthetic. If covering with gelatin, chill pate in refrigerator overnight

Make Sherry Gelatin Topping

1. In a heat-proof dish, add ¼ cup golden sherry and sprinkle gelatin in an even layer over the top. The mixture will expand. This is called 'blooming' the gelatin.  Let sit for 2-3 minutes until it starts to firm up
2. Place sherry/gelatin mixture in a small saucepan with about 1" of heated water (water bath) and gently heat until the mixture has melted. This will take about 5 minutes
3. In the meantime, in a separate small saucepan, heat ¾ cup golden sherry
4. Remove dish of blooming, melted gelatin from water bath and pour the mixture into the heated sherry and stir to combine

Add Gelatin Topping, Garnish & Chill

1. Pour over the chilled liver. You may have more than enough gelatin - pour excess in a separate small dish (great to cut into small pieces and serve with cheese)
2. If desired, add anything you’d like in the gelatin before it sets, as a decoration, such as a cornichon pickle, sliced lengthwise
3. Allow the gelatin to set in the refrigerator for at least a few hours before serving the pate
4. Serve with bread or crackers - perfect for a picnic!