Just Liv’er

Why is it that I find the idea of eating chicken livers to be truly disgusting, and yet will order pâté, terrine or rillettes without hesitating? These treats are teeming with protein from all kinds of livers and other animal parts, but rather than contemplate their origins I prefer to thinking of them simply as delectable meaty spreads.

So “mmm this pork one is really good” it what I said the other night when we picked up a piece of pork rillettes from Dickson’s Farmstand Meats at the Chelsea Market. We also got a slice of duck terrine.  I had so enjoyed my Assiette de Charcuterie from la Bergamote Patisserie the week before – featuring Pâté de Campagne, prosciutto, ham and cornichons – I was eager to recreate the meal at home.

The Chelsea Market gets busy on a sunny Saturday afternoon, so I waited in line at Amy’s for a crusty baguette while my husband poked around The Lobster Place. We ended up with a small container of fresh cooked crab from there, and then hightailed it home to go get our mini-sandwich on.

We had a number of sandwich ingredients already in the fridge. As I sliced baguette, cucumber, avocado and cheese, he got to work on a crab salad (crab, avocado, cucumber, mayo, bread crumbs, salt and pepper). We set everything out on a few plates – including the rillettes, terrine and some other soft cheeses – and went to town.

As per previous posts, my favorite meals are ones where I get to mix and match little tastes of all sorts of different things. The addition of the cornichons (mini French gherkins) took it to the next level for me, proving that I can live out my fantasy of living in the French countryside right here in midtown Manhattan.

For any of you for whom the idea of liver is so gross you refuse to try pâté or terrine (or fois gros, while we’re on the subject), you are missing out. Next time the opportunity arises, have a taste. Don’t think about it, just close your eyes and liv’er!