Chicken liver pate with Monbazillac gelee
A cool shimmer of gelee catches the light, and suspended beneath its glassy sheen like a summer mosaic is a perfectly poached egg, an asparagus tip, some fresh peas, slices of carrots, pieces of tender green beans and sprigs of herbs. Spoon into it, first breaking into the smooth gelee and then into the rich, velvety egg.
One bite, and the flavor of the gelee shines through, bright and refreshing and citrusy -- because it’s made with Sauvignon Blanc. It’s the white wine gelee that makes this classic French dish appealingly modern. Traditionally, oeuf en gelee is set in aspic jelly made with a clarified veal stock. But using white wine gelee in lieu of a veal aspic turns it into something altogether new.
White wine gelee is perfect in summer -- it’s cool and smooth and delicate. Pair cubes of it with fresh berries in a stemmed glass or layer it with panna cotta. Use it to garnish poached chicken or salmon. Put a thin layer of it over canapes.
A gelee is simply liquid set with gelatin. Traditionally, the liquid for a savory gelee is fish or meat stock that’s been reduced to concentrate the flavor and clarified because it “must always be crystal clear and a light, golden color,” according to “The Art of Garde Manger,” published by the Culinary Institute of America in the 1970s. Add white wine to the mix and the flavor is brightened, sharpened, more focused.
It’s sort of an elaborate process, but the result isn’t fussy -- it’s coolly beautiful, a literally sparkling layer or base for more dishes than you’d think.
A terrine of chicken liver pate, spiced with a touch of nutmeg, begs for a layer of gelee, which gets a sort of honeyed voluptuousness from the addition of Monbazillac, a sweet wine from southwest France. Start with chicken stock, preferably homemade; it’s worth it for the depth of flavor, but you can use commercial chicken broth as a substitute. To clarify the stock or broth, simmer it with a couple of egg whites and egg shells. The egg whites coagulate to form a “raft” and draw impurities from the liquid. Discard the raft and what remains is clear stock. Add softened gelatin to the stock, along with the Monbazillac. Decorate the top of the pate with chives, then gently spoon the gelee, set just to a syrupy stage, over it. Finally, chill the pate until it’s completely set.
Eggs in gelee are common in French charcuteries. Rows of them are lined up in refrigerated cases, decorated with sunbursts of tarragon leaves or sprigs of dill or wrapped with slices of ham or smoked salmon. Served with toasted brioche, they’re perfect for brunch.
Once you make the vegetable stock (which you don’t need to clarify) and add the gelatin, chill it, stirring gently, in a bowl over ice water so you can see when it begins to thicken (it will happen quickly). Then stir in the blanched vegetables -- they should be suspended in the gelee -- and assemble.
Or for dessert, make a gelee from the juices of crushed poached grapes and white Port. Once cooled and set, cut it into cubes and scatter them atop fresh figs poached in white Port with a little vanilla and lime peel. It all comes together with a drizzling of the figs’ poaching syrup.
What could be cooler?
Clarify the stock or broth: Break the eggs into a small bowl, saving the shells. Remove the egg yolks; they can be kept covered in the refrigerator for another use. Pour the stock into a medium saucepan, and add the egg whites and reserved shells, whisking the contents thoroughly. Place the saucepan over medium heat and bring to a simmer, stirring gently but constantly. Reduce the heat so the stock barely simmers; stop stirring and cook an additional 15 minutes. The eggs will coagulate to form a “raft,” drawing impurities from the stock. Remove the pan from the heat and gently push the raft down to ladle out the stock; be careful not to disturb the raft and cloud the stock. Discard the raft. Measure the amount of stock; you will need 1 3/4 cups. If you have more than 1 3/4 cups, return it to a clean saucepan, simmer and reduce. Set aside.
Rinse the chicken livers under cold water, and pat dry on paper towels. Heat 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat until melted and sizzling. Add the chicken livers and saute until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes. Add the onion, stirring until the onions are tender and browned, 4 to 5 minutes. Reduce the heat if the onions start to brown too quickly. Remove the pan from the heat.
Place the chicken livers and onions in a food processor. Add one-fourth cup of the chicken stock to the skillet, moistening the bottom of the pan. Scrape the bottom of the pan and pour the stock and drippings into the food processor. Add the Worcestershire sauce, paprika, nutmeg, salt, pepper and Cognac. Puree until smooth.
With the processor running, add the remaining butter piece by piece through the feed tube, and continue to process until all the butter has been incorporated. This makes slightly more than 2 cups of pate.
Pour the liver pate into a 3-cup oval casserole. Chill it in the refrigerator, uncovered, until it sets up and is firm, about 1 hour. Once the pate is set, cover the casserole with plastic wrap, pulling it tight over the top of the dish so it does not touch the pate and refrigerate overnight.
Place one-fourth cup of the chicken stock in a small bowl. Drizzle the powdered gelatin over the stock to moisten and soften the gelatin. Pour 1 1/4 cup of chicken stock into a small saucepan, and bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat. Pour the softened gelatin into the pan, stirring or whisking constantly until the gelatin is completely dissolved. Remove the pan from the heat.
Pour the gelatin-infused stock into a small metal bowl, and stir in the Monbazillac and lemon juice. Put the bowl over another bowl filled with ice water to cool the mixture. Stir gently until the gelatin just begins to thicken but is not yet set. Immediately remove the bowl from the ice water bath.
Remove the pate from the refrigerator and decorate the top of it with the chives. Gently spoon about one-half cup of the gelatin mixture over the top in an even layer. Place the pate back in the refrigerator and chill until the gelee is set, about 45 minutes.
Pour the remaining gelee into a shallow glass dish and chill until it is set.
When you are ready to serve the pate, place the pate dish on a platter. Coarsely cut or chop the gelee from the shallow glass dish into half-inch cubes and spread them around the pate on the platter. Serve with crisp toasted French bread.
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