Chicken Liver Mousse
Chicken liver mousse, known as Mousse de Foie de Volaille, is a classic French spread that’s incredibly smooth, rich, and simple to make at home. Don’t let the word “liver” scare you off – when prepared the French way, chicken liver mousse is mild, buttery and comforting. Whether you’re building a charcuterie board or hosting a holiday dinner, this elegant appetizer always impresses and is absolutely irresistible on warm toast or fresh sliced baguette. Audrey’s note Chicken liver mousse is one of the very first recipes French culinary students master…
- Prep time
- 20 min
- Cook time
- 7 min
- Yield
- 2 servings
- Difficulty
- EASY
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- (450g) chicken livers
- 3 cups (750ml) whole milk
- 6oz (170g) unsalted butter, at room temperature, divided
- 2 shallots, roughly chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme, stemmed
- 1/4 cup (60ml) cognac or brandy
- 1/2 tablespoon piment d’Espelette (or paprika)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/4 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
- 1/4 cup heavy cream (35% m.f.)
Instructions
- 1
Place chicken livers in a large bowl and cover with milk. Soak overnight in the fridge. This helps clean the livers and mellow down the irony taste.
- 2
The next day, strain the livers and pat them dry with paper towel. With a sharp knife, remove any connective tissues and fatty bits.
- 3
In a large frying pan over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons (1oz/28g) butter. Add the livers and pan-fry about 3 minutes, until browned on all sides but still a little pink in the middle. Place the warm cooked livers in a food processor (or large bowl if you're using a hand blender). Set aside.
- 4
In the same pan, cook the shallots and garlic with the thyme for 3-4 minutes, until the shallots are translucent and tender. Add the cognac to deglaze: scrape the bottom of the pan to release any brown bits. Let the liquid simmer until it reduces to about 1 tablespoon (15ml).
- 5
Pour the shallot mixture into the food processor with the livers. Add the piment d’espelette, salt, black pepper, ginger, nutmeg, 3oz (85g) butter and the heavy cream. Blitz until super smooth.
- 6
Pass the liver mousse through a fine sieve into a large bowl, to remove any remaining lumps and bits. This part does take a little time and patience, but the end product will be extremely smooth.
- 7
Transfer the mousse into a serving bowl or small ramekins. Use a small spoon to gently push the mousse into the bowl/jars to avoid any air holes. Cover with plastic film and set in the fridge about 1 hour before serving.
- 8
Optional: While the mousse sets, melt 2oz (57g) of butter in a sauce pan. Once melted and cooled down, discard the milky-colored butter (floating on top), keeping only the clarified butter. Pour a layer of butter on top of the mousse, covering completely with a 2-3 mm layer of butter. Refrigerate until firm, well-chilled. The layer of butter forms a sealing cap, helping keep the mousse longer: 24h without a butter cap, 4 to 5 days with a butter cap, in the fridge.