Chicken liver pate with sherry

Ingredients for 8 servings:

• 200 g chicken liver(s)
• 1 egg(s)
• 100 ml cream
• 40 g butter
• 50 ml Sherry, medium
• 1 garlic clove(s)
• 2 tbsp walnut oil
• salt and pepper
• nutmeg powder
• ½ tsp thyme
• 50 g walnuts
• 1 bay leaf

Instructions

Working time approx. 1 hour; Rest time approx. 30 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 45 minutes; Total time approx. 2 hours 15 minutes

appetizer

Trim the liver thoroughly. Separate four nice walnut halves, roughly chop the rest, remove any crumbs, and briefly roast them along with the first four whole walnut halves in a hot pan. Reduce the heat to 3/4. Remove everything from the pan, setting the four walnut halves aside for later decoration. Add a little butter to the pan, fry the liver for 4-5 minutes, and then remove. Turn off the heat, set the pan aside, and melt the remaining butter in the pan. Peel and quarter the garlic. Purée the liver, eggs, cream, melted butter, garlic, sherry, and walnut oil in a saucepan with an immersion blender. Season to taste with salt, pepper, thyme, and nutmeg. Stir in the chopped walnuts; do not purée any further. Let it sit in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. After the first 20 minutes, preheat the oven to 150°C (top/bottom heat) or 140°C (fan oven). Now pour the still-liquid mixture into a 500-ml (1-quart) terrine, insert the bay leaf deep into the center, and bake in the oven for about 40 minutes. Let cool, garnish with walnut halves, and refrigerate for up to four days. The pie is best served on fresh, crusty baguette as an amuse-bouche.