I love food that’s impressive yet ridiculously easy to get right even when surround by, oh maybe, holiday craziness. Bonus points if it can be made in advance. Pâté fits my perfect party food criteria for these reasons. I think the hardest part is chopping the onions.

Paleo Party Pâté
1 pound chicken liver
1 cup almond milk
2 bay leaves
3 slices of bacon
3/4 teaspoon salt
4-5 tablespoons of rendered fat (lard is okay if you don’t have this)
1/2 onion, chopped
2 tablespoons of ghee
1 1/2 teaspoon thyme
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons of red wine or pomegranate juice
2 tablespoons melted ghee to finish
*if you’re not on board for the dairy aspect of ghee, you can sub out with lard or rendered fat

To start, in a smallish mixing bowl, dump in the chicken livers and cover with almond milk. Add in the bay leaves and salt. Let these marinate for up to an hour.

In a large skillet (I love my cast iron one for this), clarify the onions using 2 tablespoons of ghee and the bacon slices. You’ll know the onions are ready when the get translucent. If they burn a little, that’s okay – you just need to turn the heat down. A few browned onions are okay because they will add to the flavor, but too many will make it bitter.

Leaving the onions and bacon in the pan, add in everything in the bowl with the chicken livers. Add in the rendered fat, thyme, vinegar, and wine. Simmer until the livers are fully cooked, stirring regularly to keep the cooking even.

You’ll need a food processor, blender, or meat grinder for the next part. I, of course, use my handy-dandy food processor that I love so much. When everything is cooked through, dump everything but the bay leaves into the food processor. Blend to a paste-like consistency. Pour into your chosen serving vessel or, if you’re fancy, a greased mold. I chose not to be fancy this time around and went for a glass Pyrex dish that has a lovely plastic cover to travel with ease. Pour the melted ghee in top to create a seal. Chill until about 15 minutes before serving. I usually make this a day in advance of a party or event. Please ignore the Formica counter top…

To serve, I like it on sliced pear with raisins and cornichons. I was able to find sulfite free cornichons at Whole Foods, but I wasn’t impressed with the selection, so I may make my own this summer.

Enjoy!