chicken liver pâtè and pickled cherries

no doubt you've resolved to start eating better or you're about to begin some new fitness regimen for the new year. that's all well and good, and you should (although you look great now!). but maybe there's still room for pâtè in your newly virtuous life. 

even if there isn't, if you act fast you can have it this year. or it will still be there in february when you start backsliding (well, not you. other people who lack your willpower).

plus, even if pâtè isn't your thing, you should still make the pickled cherries because they are good in other stuff. like... sandwiches? on a cheese plate? even (stay with me here) over ice cream (maybe that's too much)? 

these are stupid-easy and well worth your time. i used frozen cherries, because pitting them is not fun and i didn't have time. however, i think they suffered a bit in terms of texture (they're a little soft, though still totally good), so if pitting cherries is your jam, by all means use fresh.

above are the spices used - crushed red pepper, cloves, coriander seeds, and star anise. mix these, 1/3 cup sugar, 2/3 cup red wine vinegar, and 1 cup of water and bring it to a boil. let it boil for 30 seconds or so, then pour it over a pound or so of frozen cherries.

you actually should probably do this in a more heat-proof container, but the glass jar worked for me. then just refrigerate for a day or so (or at least a couple of hours). delicious! they look very pretty when you put them in a bowl with some of the star anise pods.

they are also a good match for the pâtè. somehow the unctuously rich pâtè goes extremely well with the sweet & sour juiciness of the cherries. they cut the richness a little and add some texture to the whole thing.  

if you've never made it, pâtè is probably a bit daunting. however, it's actually quite easy and cheap to make and tends to be pretty impressive as well, making it a home run for dinner parties or fancy cocktail snacks.

unfortunately the first thing you have to do is clean the livers. gross, but necessary. get all of the weird sinewy things and other stuff out of there. then heat some butter in a medium/smallish pan over medium heat until it begins browning. add chopped shallots and four sprigs of thyme and cook them for a minute or so. then add the livers and some salt, pepper, allspice, and brandy. cook everything for 7 or 8 minutes or until the livers are still just a tiny bit pink in the middle.

let things cool, take out the thyme, and blend with a little cream in a food processor until it's very smooth. if you want it to be more rustic, you can serve it as-is, but i think it's better to press the pâtè through a mesh strainer to ensure that it's smooth. it only takes a minute to do and it's much better - just use a spatula to press it through.

you can serve it immediately or (preferably) let it sit in the fridge for a little bit to let the flavors meld. it's great with crackers or little toasts or the like. adding some cornichons or other pickles to the mix is not a bad idea either.

even if your new year brings resolutions of better living, i hope there's room in there for a little bit of indulgence once in a while. moderation in everything, right?

*ingredients*

pickled cherries:
1 pound frozen or fresh sweet cherries
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon whole cloves
5 whole star anise pods
1 tablespoon whole coriander seeds
1/3 cup sugar (can use more - this will not be terribly sweet)
2/3 cup red wine vinegar
1 cup water

pâtè: 
5 tablespoons butter
4 sprigs of thyme
2 medium shallots
1/2 teaspoon salt
12-15 grindings black pepper
1/4 teaspoon allspice
3/4 pound chicken livers
2 tablespoons brandy
1/2 cup heavy cream

broccoli casserole

broccoli casserole is The Dish in my family. it's the dish that's certain to be there at any holiday and which, strangely, we only make for holidays. i honestly can't figure out why that is, because it's easy and quick to toss together and isn't totally unhealthy and is immensely delicious. every year i'm like, why don't i make this all the time? and then i don't do it until the next holiday. maybe it's my subconscious trying to keep it extra-special.

i used to have to call my mom every thanksgiving to get the recipe for this. i have no clue where it originated, but i can't remember a thanksgiving or christmas without it. i've been making it for the last few years just based on remembered amounts and what looks right. my brother has now taken up the mantle of annual recipe-transcribing calls to my mom and my mom actually called me this year to ask a question about covering it or not.

i find it comforting to know that even though i wasn't able to be with my parents or my brother this thanksgiving, this casserole was being made and enjoyed in texas, oregon, and arizona. no doubt we will each be making it for christmas, too. it's nice to have traditions that are so good to eat.

first, preheat the oven to 375. then you need a whole mess of broccoli. i used 6 smallish stalks - i think it was about 6 cups or so. the wonderful thing about casseroles, though, is that you don't need totally exact amounts.

peel the tough outer parts from the stems, then slice them into ~1/4" pieces (you can cut the pieces in halves or quarters if the stems are thick). then cut the florets into bite-sized pieces.

these are most of the other illustrious ingredients. you need two eggs, 3/4 - 1 cup mayonnaise, 1/2 cup greek yogurt (or you can probably change the percentage of mayonnaise and yogurt - 1/2 and 1/2, etc. you just usually want about 1 1/2 cups combined), a can of condensed cream of celery soup (i know, i know. this is literally the only time i ever use canned soups. if you can find something that tastes just like campbell's cream of celery soup, you're welcome to use it instead. i'm sticking with tradition here), ~1/3 of a medium-large onion (minced), and about 8-10 ounces of extra sharp grated cheddar.

i think the extra sharpness of the cheddar is really important here, so don't chicken out and go with medium sharp or something. extra sharp or bust!

i like to mix everything up in a big bowl and add a lot of freshly-ground black pepper and a little bit of salt (the mayo, cheese, soup, etc. are pretty salty, so don't go overboard. i used less than a teaspoon). then add the broccoli pieces and mix it all around so that it gets fully coated. if it seems a little dry, add more mayonnaise and/or yogurt. it should basically be well-coated but not swimming. again, casseroles are pretty forgiving.

then put it in a casserole dish. this is a cast iron enamel-covered one, which i like because it has a cover and seems to heat things really evenly. and it is pretty. but you could also use a regular pan and cover it with aluminum foil.

the crispy topping is an area of contention in my family. okay, just with me. everyone else puts crumbled ritz crackers on top, and if that's your thing, go for it. i am just not a ritz cracker person (lime-vanilla icebox cake notwithstanding), so i usually use breadcrumbs or panko. i was out of panko this time, so i used 1 slice of sourdough and 1/2 slice of whole wheat bread, crumbled up with a tiny bit of olive oil and a little salt. my bread was pretty dry already, so i just put some oil and salt on my hands and kind of rubbed them over the bread to crumble it. you could also just whiz them up in a food processor or chop them or whatever. i don't need to tell you how to crumble bread.

then just stick it in the oven for awhile. i leave the lid on for the first 40 minutes or so, then take it off so the top browns nicely. it should take maybe a little over an hour in total, but it depends on how deep your pan is. just use a sharp knife to stick into a broccoli stem near the top and if it goes in easily, it should be about done. basically the cheese/soup/mayonnaise gets all custardy, so if there's still a little softness in the center, it's probably okay. you want to let it set up a little after you take it out of the oven - 10 minutes' rest should do it.

this is a really forgiving casserole, though, so just play with it. i cooked ours at our house, then reheated it for about 15 minutes when we were about to eat and it was fine. more than fine, actually. it was incredibly delicious, as usual, and i once again vowed to make it more often.

this thanksgiving, people outdid themselves with delicious things. we had: great appetizers (crackers, goat cheese, homemade jalapeno jelly, pickled cherries, roasted hazelnuts, pickled okra, bread & butter pickles), green bean casserole, broccoli casserole, sweet potatoes with an amazing streusel crust (much better than marshmallows), turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, gravy, cornbread dressing (aka stuffing, if you are not from the south), rolls, cranberry sauce, salad, a 6-tier chocolate caramel cake, Mike's Famous Pie, and pumpkin pie. it was sort of insane, since there were only like a dozen of us, but also it was sort of magical. and extremely tasty.

i love this thanksgiving potluck-with-friends tradition and it just gets better every year. thanks for hosting, clifton and shantelle! and thanks for giving me the recipe so many times over the years, mom!

*ingredients*

~6 cups chopped broccoli

1 1/2 cups mayonnaise/yogurt (usually ~1 cup mayonnaise to 1/2 cup yogurt, but it's up to you)

1 can condensed cream of celery soup

~1/3 of an onion, minced (~1/3 cup)

2 eggs

8-10 ounces shredded extra-sharp cheddar

salt and pepper

breadcrumbs (or ritz crackers) - enough to cover the casserole - i used 1 1/2 slices of bread

mix all the ingredients except the broccoli and the breadcrumbs. mix in the broccoli, stick it in a pan and top with breadcrumbs. simple!

honey/brown butter/bourbon-glazed carrots with crispy sage

omg you guys, thanksgiving is just around the corner! luckily, we at chez living awesomely are part of the best thanksgiving tradition ever - a group of food- and drink-loving pals gets together every year to try to out-dazzle each other with tastiness.

potluck is totally the way to go for thanksgiving, by the way - you get to taste different people's traditional family dishes and bring your own favorites, ensuring that it's never boring and that no one has to do everything (only to become bitter when guests don't fully appreciate the work that went into the puff pastry swan placecard holders that took 17 hours to make).

in that spirit, this is an easy and quick little side dish that would be more than welcome at any holiday gathering (or a regular old weekday dinner - it only takes like 15 minutes). sage, carrots, brown butter, honey, bourbon - what could be more autumnally appropriate? nothin', that's what!

first, peel the carrots. or don't. i prefer them peeled, and if you have a good peeler it doesn't take long. you also get all the joy of watching your dogs fall over themselves to grab up the peelings, never realizing that they have like 10 stuck in their fur at any given time. let the hilarity ensue!

you can cut them up however you like, although personally i find discs to be rather kansas-city-split-level-1987, but maybe that's just me. i was going to do this faux tourné cut, but apparently i lack the basic sense of spatial relationships that this requires, so i just made ~45 degree cuts facing alternate ways down each carrot. does that make sense? the picture above is meant to demonstrate this, but you could always try the other way (particularly if your parents acceded to childhood demands for a video game system - that might give you better hand-eye coordination than i ended up with).

once they are all cut up in whatever way you figure out for yourself, heat 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat in a pan big enough for all of the carrots. once the butter melts, add some small sage leaves, stirring a little to make sure they aren't sticking together. this isn't an absolute requirement, and i think the carrots would still be good without it, but the little crispy sage leaves are really pretty delicious and provide a nice counterpoint at the end.

my sage leaves got crispy just as the butter was starting to brown, which was rather perfect. you may remember brown butter from such desserts as brown butter cherry berry clafoutis. it is a delicious marvel in everything it touches, and these carrots are no exception. it adds just the right nuttiness to bring out the sweetness of the carrots and honey.

so when the butter browns and the sage leaves crisp, remove the leaves and set them aside on a paper towel or something. then add the carrots, 1 tablespoon or a little more of honey, 1 tablespoon (or more) of bourbon, a cup of water, and some salt and pepper. you don't want to totally overdo it on the salt at this point, since the water will be evaporating and might make it too salty. i put in probably less than a teaspoon. i also put some more sage in - another 5 or so leaves.

then you turn the heat to high, cover the pan, and cook those beauties on up - it only takes 10 minutes or so. stir it pretty frequently - every couple of minutes is probably a good rule of thumb. you might have to kind of see what works for you with the lid - basically you want the water to evaporate enough to make a glaze and the carrots to cook through all at the same time.

once the carrots are done enough for your taste (mine were in fairly large chunks and took 12 minutes), take them off the heat and add a couple of teaspoons or so of lemon juice and some more salt, if it needs it. this'll brighten the whole thing up.

when you're ready to eat these, sprinkle them with the fried sage leaves - they add crunch and a lightly sage-y buttery flavor that brings it all together into a perfect distillation of the holidays.

*ingredients*

~ 1 1/2 pounds carrots (~5 large)

2 tablespoons butter

10 or so sage leaves

1 tablespoon honey (+)

1 tablespoon bourbon (+)

1 cup water

2 teaspoons lemon juice

salt & pepper

other good thanksgiving dishes:

mike's famous pecan/chocolate/bourbon pie

spicy carrot cake

sweet & spicy roasted squash

the best kale salad

also, pretty much any cocktail here would be good, particularly pear/ginger/lemon/bourbon. word on the street is that we will be having some kind of pear/rosemary/prosecco concoction at our festivities. i am All Sorts of excited.