Liver Muffins?

My mother’s diet is nearly bereft of organ meat and healthy fat thanks to her doctor who has scared her into believing dietary cholesterol is a big, bad meanie waiting in every bite of butter to stop her heart. It didn’t used to be that way. When I was a teen, we had liver and onions at least once a month, and liverwurst sandwiches once a week. I was never thrilled with the liver and onions, but loved liverwurst with mustard and pickles! My friends thought I was nuts.

I’ve been able to convince Mom of some new facts about organ meats…old facts, really, that the medical mainstream has ignored. But she still has an obstacle: a roommate who only eats a handful of food items and is unwilling to expand her horizons beyond them. My Christmas gift to mom this year was a year’s worth of liver pâté in single-servings to stock her freezer. Her roommate doesn’t have to smell the liver cooking, and Mom doesn’t have to go without. I started with a super recipe from Nourished Kitchen, but changed it up a little based on what was available.

Liver Pâté for One

1 lb Livers from Pasture-fed Turkeys
1 Quart Cultured Buttermilk
14 oz Ghee from Grass-fed Cows
2 Large Shallots
2 Tablespoons Fresh Thyme
½ Cup Sherry

Rinse livers gently, pat dry and put in a bowl with buttermilk. Allow livers to soak in buttermilk at least 4 hours, preferably overnight. Drain livers and rinse again.

Heat 4 oz. ghee in a skillet until melted. Slice shallots thinly then add to ghee and brown. Pat livers dry then add to the onions and ghee. Simmer gently until cooked through and until the liquid they release has evaporated. Add the thyme and sherry, scraping up any browned bits from the skillet. Allow to cook down until the sound changes from bubbling to sizzling. Let skillet cool to room temperature.

Add liver mixture and 8 oz. of softened ghee to blender or food processor and process until smooth. Melt the remaining 2 oz. of ghee. Put paper cupcake liners into a cupcake pan with 12 holes. Spoon pâté into paper liners and pour melted ghee on top. Allow to set in the fridge for a few hours or overnight, then stack the pate cups, roll the stack in parchment paper and store in an airtight plastic container or bag in the freezer. Let the pâté come to room temperature before enjoying.

This post is part of Fat Tuesday, Real Food Wednesday and Fight Back Friday.

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