The Best Chopped Liver Ever
June 26, 2017
People say that my mother makes the best chop liver. I think this actually may be true, because I’ve received so many requests for the recipe over the years. It is as smooth as a pate and packed with flavor.
The recipe is quite simple. It is best made the day before, so it can be done in advance. Served with figs, cornichons, thinly sliced Granny Smith apples and endive, it's an elegant and delicious appetizer. I always set aside an extra dish to drop off at our neighbor's, because she likes it so much.
The recipe is simple, but … many years ago my dear Uncle Mitch asked my mother for the recipe for his family’s annual West Coast New Year's Day party. This was long before emails, so she gave him the recipe rather quickly over the phone, as she was preparing for her annual New Year’s Day party for 300 people down in Gainesville.
On New Year’s Day she received a call from Uncle Mitch. "This chopped liver doesn't look quite right. It seems very, well, bloody." My mother had erroneously assumed that he knew that the liver had to be cooked first!
Whenever I make this recipe, I remember my fine, wise, understated uncle with that dreadful mess, my efficient mother with her hands full, guests about to arrive, cradling the phone (still attached to the wall) and how much they both laughed! Cooking this recipe makes me feel particularly connected.
You have all of the information now – I hope that your family and friends adore it. Enjoy!
Welcome!
Welcome!
Ideas and Inspiration
My Mothers Truly Delicious Chopped Liver. the Best.
Ingredients:
(Enough for a large dinner party. Halve the recipe if for 6 people or fewer.)
2 lbs. chicken livers
8 eggs (in their shells)
2 large onions, chopped (mincing in a food processor makes it easier)
Approx. 3/4 cup olive oil (you may decide to add a little more at the end as it is being mixed)
2 - 3 bay leaves (choose ones that look nice)
2 tbs. brandy
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
Special Equipment:
Cuisinart or a good blender
Preparation:
- Add the liver and eggs (in their shells) to a pot and cover with water.
- Bring to a boil and cook until liver is cooked through and eggs are hard-boiled. (Approximately 20 minutes.)
- Sauté the chopped onion at low heat in 1/3 cup of olive oil, along with the bay leaves and some salt and pepper, until the onions are translucent and golden. Cooking these slowly creates the best flavor.
- Once the onions have begun to develop a rich, golden, translucent appearance, add in a few tablespoons of brandy for additional favor and sauté for a few more moments.
- Once the liver and eggs are cooked, drain them in a colander over the sink.
- Put the hot, cooked liver in the food processor and set aside.
- Make sure that there are no bits of egg shells on the liver.
- Peel the eggs under cold running water, being sure to remove all of the shell.
- Add the peeled boiled eggs to the food processor.
- Remove the bay leaves from the onion mixture and reserve for decoration on top of the completed chopped liver.
- Put the onions, along with the olive oil, salt, pepper and additional olive oil in the food processor.
- Mix for several minutes, until really fluffy and smooth.
- Taste and correct the seasonings if necessary (i.e., more salt or pepper or a bit more olive oil.)
- Spoon into a serving container or two, press the reserved bay leaf into the top of container and refrigerate.
- This is best made the day before.
- Serve with sliced dry or fresh figs, cornichons, thin apple or pear slices tossed in lemon juice (to prevent them from browning), crackers and, for a carb free option, endive.
Holiday Hospitality - the Code
The Code of Hospitality
April 11, 2019
The most important aspect of entertaining is hospitality. Making guests feel welcome trumps serving food on time, broken antique crystal or spilled cabernet on the white sofa. (All have happened to us.) Prioritizing guests' comfort usually occurs naturally. On occasion, however, something unexpected happens and you need to don your "fiduciary hat" to ensure that a guest feels welcomed, wanted and cared for, no matter how it is that they happened to find a place at your table.
I was reminded of this several years ago, while planning an annual holiday meal. This was the first year that I used Paperless Post to send out invitations for an annual holiday dinner. I cut and pasted everyone’s emails from my Gmail account, including that of 19 year-old cousin. The site provides a spot to add the number invited for each email, and my cousin received a "1".
A few days later, I received an email asking, " if it was OK if he and his wife brought their children…. there would be four of them...." It turns out that I had accidentally copied the wrong email address and inadvertently invited someone who, coincidentally, had a remarkably similar email to that of my cousin! He was the parent of a child in my son’s class at school and had responded to the invitation, (thankfully) unaware that it was sent in error.
We wrote back that we were delighted that they could all come and never breathed a word of our mistake. However, we privately puzzled over how to accommodate this additional family when we already had 26 guests for a sit-down meal in our New York apartment. In addition to family and close friends, we already had included a couple who recently arrived in the community and a student who could not make it home. Ultimately, we moved much of the living room furniture to the bedroom and, while missing a spot for hors d’oeuvres, were able to set a place for everyone.
We were handsomely rewarded, because it turned out to be one of the best holiday meals we’d ever had. The “people who weren’t my cousin” proved to be fascinating, spontaneous and warm, adding so much to the spirit of the evening. It was a great reminder of the importance of including new people. It was also a reminder of the most important aspect of the entertaining code -- never, never, never (to echo Churchill) make anyone under your roof feel anything less than enthusiastically welcomed.