It’s been a few years since I shared a recipe, but this one has kept coming up in conversation lately and it feels like the right time to share. This recipe is from Laurie Riedman of Elemental@Gasworks^[1], and words can’t express how awesome it is.

Ingredients

• 2 pounds chicken liver, soaked in milk
• ½ pound unsalted butter
• 4 shallots, sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, sliced
• 2 Granny Smith apples, peeled and diced
• 8 sheets gelatin, soaked in water
• 1/3 cup Grand Mariner
• Salt and pepper to taste

Technique

1. Melt butter in sauté pan
2. Add shallots, garlic and apple – cook until soft, but do not brown
3. Turn heat to medium high and add drained chicken livers
4. Sauté until just cooked – livers should still be pink inside
5. Add Grand Mariner and reduce by half
6. Stir in gelatin until dissolved
7. Cool slightly and process until very smooth, adding salt and pepper to taste
8. Put in terrine mold, cover and weigh
9. Chill overnight

Serving suggestion

Serve with toasted baguette and pickles

The mousse will keep for months in the freezer. I made a big batch in 2020, vacuum sealed 5 or 6 generous portions, and have been thawing one every few months when I feel the need for something rich, savory, and delicious.

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^[1] Elemental@Gasworks was my favorite restaurant for years. Before I moved to the Seattle area I would dine at Elemental at least once per week when I was visiting. I learned a lot from eating Laurie’s food, and from watching her cook in the tiny, tiny kitchen. Elemental closed in 2012, but it comes up in conversation almost every day among those of us fortunate enough to have experienced it.