Todays recipe for the French Fridays with Dorie group is Chicken Liver Gâteaux - Gâteaux de foie de volaille à la lyonnaise. I opted for the Lyonnaise version of this dish, hence the name. It is traditionally served warm with a tomato sauce - coulis de tomates, green olives and mushrooms.
Dorie mentions that the Gâteaux can be served with pickled onions or Lyon style (see her Bonnee Idée). And since there were quite some onions on our menu lately (caramelized, fried, onion chutney, etc.), I chose to prepare a wonderful tomato sauce instead of the pickled onions.
Inexpensive and packed with flavor, chicken livers are widely available in groceries stores and butcher shops around here. As with all innards, livers need to be as fresh as possible so follow the use-by date, or use within two days. Traditionally, they are used in terrines or minced up with other ingredients as a stuffing or they are pan fried. Simply pan fry them in butter for a few minutes until golden-brown on the outside and pink and juicy inside. Deglaze the pan with a splash of wine, brandy or sherry and stir in a little mustard or chopped parsley, then serve on toast, in a salad, or, as in Dorie´s recipe, using a food processor, blend the livers with some eggs, yolks, cream, milk, brandy, and some fresh herbs (thyme, rosemary and sage) and salt and pepper to make these easy Gâteaux de foie de volaille. After a good half hour in a bain marie they turn out to be soft and airy and delicious.
Pig´s, calves’ and chicken livers are the most commonly used in Germany. Lamb's livers are slightly stronger than those from calves but equally good - classically served with crisp bacon, fried onions, and possibly sage. The luxury end of the liver market is goose or duck liver and, perhaps most controversially, foie gras , the fattened liver from force-fed geese.
Obviously not everyone enjoys eating liver, especially young taste testers might object. So when I served the Chicken Liver Gâteaux Lyon Style - Gâteaux de foie de volaille à la lyonnaise to my family, I prepared a nice bowl of that wonderful winter salad lamb´s lettuce with some slices of portabella mushrooms. For the salad dressing I used delicious chestnut-honey-vinegar from our local oil and vinegar manufacturer (I knew that they could all agree on that part) and I prepared a small plate for every person around the table.
Well, I can honestly say that they all took a least one bite and lots of tomato sauce and two of the kids finished their plates. Adults loved this, the younger ones gave mixed reviews but they all tried it and no one thought it odd that I would serve them something with chicken liver as the main ingredient. I might try my hand at this recipe again if we have dinner guests that like French food, the presentation certainly is pretty and it is an uncomplicated recipe that can be prepared ahead of time.
To see how the other Doristas prepared the Gâteaux de foie de volaille, please click here.
Very pretty! I was not brave enough to try it this week as we have all been sick. I think it's great that all the kids tried it! Good job!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much - we do eat our fair share of dishes containing liver around here but I, personally, do not make it very often at all, more out of health than taste concerns, though.
DeleteI read through the Bonne Idee a few times and couldn't really envision how it would come together or how liver and tomatoes would pair. I'm so happy to see that someone tried it.
ReplyDeleteI personally enjoy liver and think that a simple pan fry really is the best. This was a tasty alternative though for when we want something a tad fancier.
Rose, the Bonnee Idée just seemed the way to go this week - I actaully really liked the way the tomato coulis tasted together with the liver and it was a nice change to the usual onions.
DeleteI knew you'd make this look good even though I know what it is and.....well, I'll keep quiet today. I admit that as a kid I loved all the fried Chicken "things" that I can no longer eat. (I have a granddaughter who begs for the skin...she can have it all!) Come to think of it, my kids have never been exposed to anything liver. I think you are a real trooper, and honestly, your photos and write-up are lovely!
ReplyDeleteKrissy, thanks for the wonderful comment - I tend to be one of those people who likes to "expose" the kids to all kinds of different tastes. I told them at the beginning of the meal that they should taste it at but certainly would never ever force them to eat anything that they do not like. They all liked the experience today and now know how Chicken Liver Gâteux taste like.
DeleteI love your presentation over a tomato sauce! And how nice that your family didn't balk at this one...I need a do-over in raising my kids to have more adventurous palates! But I have to work on their dad first ;)
ReplyDeleteLiz, thanks so much - peolple have very different opinions as to what children "should try", I always believed in letting the kids have a taste of everything we eat and tell them to keep an open mind...so far so good...but that does mean that they actaully will like everything I put in front of them. But it is a whole lot of fun seeing how they all react to different foods.
DeleteAt least you can make a liver dish LOOK good! You are braver than I was ...
ReplyDeleteTammy, no bravery involved there, I guess we are just more used to "anything liver" around here - it does not really come as a shock to us Europeans to have to prepare something with liver. And most often, we actually like the results.
DeleteVery Lovely presentation. You made the liver look delicious. I could not bring myself to make this recipe.
ReplyDeleteGeraldine, thanks s o much for the coment -there are so amny other wonderful recipes in the book, so to skip one or the other because of a dislike is certainly more than understandable.
DeleteI'm so glad I'm not the only one who went for the tomatoes! I didn't go with Dorie's idea, but I still love the way tomatoes went with the gateau. I didn't have any olives to go with it, but I'll have to give that a try. Your presentation looks absolutely beautiful - very elegant, just the way pate should look!
ReplyDeleteSara, the French seem to really enjoy serving their Chicken Liver Gâteaux with a tomato coulis and since Dorie mentioned that in her Bonnee Idée, I went for it and I must say that we really enjoyed this combination.
DeleteI got through this one thanks to Nana's help with delivering ingredients that included ready to go livers. Yup- I only had to dump the Tupperware into the Cuisinart. Frankly I had to block my mind about what actually was getting whirred around in there as it was making me a bit squeamish. But it smelled lovely baking and frankly tasted quite nice. But since my guys appreciate it more than I(but I believe less than the excited cat and dogs who wanted to be taste testers.....), I was generous in sharing :) Any repeats however, they will need to go to Nana's house for. Very nice job on the tomato version and the photos, as usual- are just lovely.
ReplyDeleteTricia, thank you so much for your lovely comment. You make me smile when you mention that your family has to go to Nana´s house for repeat performances of the Chicken Liver Gâteaux. Have a wonderful weekend!
DeletePretty pictures! I think its awesome that the family would eat this. My boys would have run from the table screaming if I set something like this in front of them!
ReplyDeleteGuyla, my family is so used to getting tastes of so many different dishes, they actually look forward to tasting new ones all the time and I am, of course, delighted that they do not shy away from new things.
DeleteYour dish looks so beautiful - especially with the livers floating in a bag of tomate coulis. Gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteIt's nice that your children enjoyed this one too.
Cher, thanks so much - I guess we have adventurous eaters at home - but it was a nice and easy recipe and I could easily see myself serving this again for a special occasion.
DeleteI think you are the only Dorista who went to Lyon this week. I just couldn't wrap my arms around tomato coulis although you did make it sound wonderful. I thought the chicken liver gâteaux was going to have a strong, heavy flavor which it didn't. I found it light and fluffy and do realize that the coulis/green olives version would be delicious. I spent a week in Lyon a few years ago and must say that it was a food feast everyday. In my opinion, that is one underrated city. Glad that your little tykes tried and, for the most part, enjoyed this meal. You do make food look very, very appetizing, Andrea.
ReplyDeleteMary, I would love to travel to Lyon one of these days, it sounds like an awfully interesting city with lots of terrific food. When I read about the tomato coulis with green olives for the first time, I was less than enthused but when we ate the Gâteaux, I immediately knew why the peolple from Lyon love this version so very much - there seem to be countless recipes for this dish.
DeleteLovely take on Dorie's bonne idée version. The salad sounds like a perfect accompaniment, too. I feel a little unusual in the group - some of my earliest food memories involve pâté on toast for breakfast. Obviously a French Canadian thing. Your kids sound like adventurous eaters - that's such a rare thing in North America. It's nice to hear about kids that are willing to try new things.
ReplyDeleteTeresa, pâté for breakfast sounds delicious actually - with a nice big piece of baguette - perfect - I would love to eat that, even in the morning.
DeleteDelicious - this gateaux of liver looks light as a cloud, Andrea! I'm not sure I'd like pickled onions with it. Your tomato sauce sounds rather good and wouldn't overwhelm the pâté. Hope you are having a great weekend!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Hester - we just could not face any more onions this week and the kids adore anything tomato, so I went with the coulis and it seems to have been the right choice.
DeleteIt sounds like it went down a treat. This wasn't my cup of tea, but I gave it a go.
ReplyDeleteI always admire anybody stepping out of their comfort zone and trying something new when cooking or baking!
DeleteThat's so great that two of your children cleaned their plates with this recipe! Liver is just one of those foods that you either love or hate. I was tempted to try the tomato sauce version, but I went with the pickles instead. I don't think I have it in me to try it again with the tomato sauce, but yours look so tempting.
ReplyDeleteElaine, I guess kids around here are just a bit more used to eat dishes that contain liver - so they are not too put off to begin with and that is already a good starting point for tasting new things. Then, if they do not like what they have on their plates, they at least had a go at it.
DeleteI had to skip this one since I couldn´t find the livers easily. But I love them, and you made a wonderful presentation Andrea! should keep the tomato sauce in mind. Have a great day!
ReplyDeletePaula, thanks so much - tomato coulis seems to make a lot of foods more agreeable, especially with my kids.
DeleteI was talking to my Chinese blogger friend and she told me chicken liver goes really well with tomatoes. I don't think it was her FFwD post but I remember telling her I never did that combination. Now your dish made me very curious. My mom tried to make me eat chicken liver grilled skewer (yakitori style) for nutritious purpose, but never liked it. This looks beautiful and very appetizing!
ReplyDeleteNami, grilled chicken liver skewers (yakitori style) actually sound very intriguing to me - I would love to try that, actually now you have given me a fun idea of a new dish to try one of these days when I can get really good and fresh chicken liver again.
DeleteI've read a few reviews where the blogger didn't like this dish, so I'm glad you did. I must admit that I fall on the side of not liking liver - although my husband loves it.
ReplyDeleteBeth, well, with liver it is is really a matter of not liking at all or very much.
DeleteYou are such a pro - I'm pretty convinced that I would like this dish after reading your post! Beautiful photos as usual!
ReplyDeleteMaggie, thank you for your nice comment - no need to eat liver in any shape or form if you do not appreciate the taste - there are so many other wonderful things to eat out there.
DeleteI think it's great that you made this with the tomato sauce. I will be making this again and will try it with the sauce. It as such a simple and nice recipe. Your photos make it look very appetizing!
ReplyDeleteRenee, the tomato sauce was really a very good "Bonne Idée", the people from Lyon obviously have good taste.
DeleteI was very surprised that most of the commenters don't like liver. My husband and I both love it...the first dish I had on arriving in Germany this past trip was liver cooked with apples that was delicious. Your presentation is lovely as always. Karen
ReplyDeleteKaren, ah, liver with apples (and onions) - of course, no one would believe me but it was indeed one of my favorite dishes as a child - honest!
Deleteyour tomato sauce looks just stunning with the liver! :) Great job!
ReplyDeleteAlice, thank you so much - the tomato sauce was indeed quite a hit at our house, it goes surprisingly well with the Chicken Liver Gâteau.
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