Chicken Liver Mousse

In a large frying pan, melt a knob of the butter over high heat.

When the butter begins to bubble and turn brown, toss in the chicken livers. The livers shouldn't need much preparation for this because they'll be quickly blended. Chicken liver can often benefit from a long soak in milk to soak off some of the more metallic flavor. I didn't need to soak these livers, but if you're worried, fry a chunk off and if the iron flavor is overwhelming, submerge the livers in milk and soak overnight. Then strain and try again.

Whe the livers are mostly browned on the outside, with a little caramelization in the pan, pour in the heavy cream. Scrape the pan to release the fond. Bring the cream to a simmer. If you happen to have some brandy laying around, it can be fun to deglaze with brandy before adding the cream, but I don't find it necessary. It adds an extra step and if you don't drink brandy, you'd be left with a whole bottle after this one recipe.

Add a pinch of salt and a few turns of fresh black pepper. The heat of the cream and the blender will cook the livers, so as soon as the cream is simmering, you're ready to move on to the next step. And you definitely don't want to overcook the livers or they'll get kinda hunky and gross.

Carefully, transfer everything into a good, strong blender. Do not turn the blender on. Put the lid on tight, hold it down with a towel wrapped around your arm, and pulse, carefully, until you know you can turn the blender on full blast without spraying liver all over your ceiling. There are people who will tell you to never blend hot liquids. I disagree, just be careful.

Add the maple syrup.

Add the sherry vinegar.

With the blender going on low speed, drop in chunks of the remaining butter, until it's all gone and whipped up into the mousse. Stop the blender. Check the seasoning. You should taste a little salt, a slight hint of acid from the vinegar, and sweet maple to balance it out. Add a little of either if you think it needs it.

Chill to set. You can pour it into any container you're planning to serve it in. Put whatever you won't eat within a couple of days in airtight containers in the freezer. I like to pour it into 3 or 4 gallon-sized freezer bags, remove all of the air, and spread it out thin. Then you can store these sheets in the freezer and pull one out the day before a party. Frozen, this will keep for a month at least. In the fridge, it will keep for about 2-3 days.

Great with crackers or toasted rye. As seen here, I made some rye toasts, smeared on some mousse, and garnished with pickled onion and goat cheese. But really, you can smear it on just about anything. Use it as a mind-blowing burger topping, or hide a little bit in an omelette. If you freeze it in a brick, you can grate it, and that's pretty awesome as a garnish.