Our Christmas was very quiet. Years ago we would get together with my sister and her husband, my Mom and Dad and of course our son. That was when we would travel to the Twin Cities in Minnesota where my parents lived. My sister was there too so naturally we were the travelers. But lots has changed since then. My Dad has passed, my sister and her husband have moved further west into Minnesota and my mother is now in assisted living. My son is no longer the little kid we rained presents upon. He is grown and lives on the other side of Wisconsin. But he comes home for the holidays. We do a jigsaw puzzle, visit with friends, take walks, do a little birding and open a few gifts. Nathan doesn't know what to give us anymore because frankly, we have everything we need and if we want something, we buy it. But he does want to give us something and since he cooks as good as his Dad, he told us he would be preparing dinner for us one night. He was going to make us each a Banh Mi. Banh Mi is a short baguette with a thin, crisp crust and a soft, airy texture. It is often split lengthwise and filled with savory ingredients like a submarine sandwich and served as a meal. It is a different combination of ingredients than any sub you are familiar with, pate, mayo, pickled vegetables, ham or other protein. Nathan first made the pate (liver mousse) and the baguettes from scratch.
Chicken Liver Mousse
Ingredients:
15 ounces chicken livers (approx.one container), cleaned, rinsed and patted dry.
salt, freshly ground pepper
4 Tbls milk
2 Tbls butter
1 shallot, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
dried thyme, 1/4 tsp
marjoram, 1/4 tsp
1/2 C of heavy cream
Preparation:
Step 1. Season the livers with the salt and pepper. Put them in a bowl with the milk. Soak for about 10 minutes then drain off milk.
Step 2. Heat the butter in a frying pan and add the shallots. Cook until soft and translucent. Add the garlic and the herbs and cook about a minute or two, then add the drained chicken livers. Sear on one side, about 1-2 minutes, then turn and cook until firm, about another two minutes. Cook until nearly dry.
Step 3. Add the liver mixture to the blender. Add about 1/4 cup cream and blend until smooth. If it is stiff, add the remaining 1/4 cup and blend till very smooth but not runny.
Step 4. Pour mixture into ramekins or jars. Cover with plastic wrap, lightly pressing the wrap to the surface of the mousse so that it doesn't oxidize. Chill in the refrigerator until set, roughly 4 hours. It will thicken to the consistency of cake frosting. This can be made a day in advance if needed.
Nathan made this in the morning so it would be ready for dinner. I'll finish the preparation in the next post because the baguettes need an entry of their own. See you soon.
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