This Liver Pâté recipe has 5 ingredients and could not be any easier! Add it all to a food processor, blend, and voila! A hearty, spreadable appetizer that goes perfect with Swedish Rye Bread. Or add it to your next Charcuterie Board! A vintage classic.
I had never even heard of Pâté before marrying into Eric’s family. Small-minded, I refused to try it for years. I couldn’t get past the “liver” part. But eventually, after watching the older generation enjoy it with gusto at every holiday, I gave in, and was pleasantly surprised. It is rich and flavorful. Think of it like spreadable baloney. You don’t need a lot of it, a little goes a long way. It’s particularly delicious on a slice of toasted Rye bread, a classic in our family.
Braunschweiger dip
The secret of course is the Braunschweiger. It is a smoked, soft, and spreadable sausage, made from pork, pork liver, and bacon. It’s very flavorful all on it’s own. You just beat it up with some cream cheese, Worcestershire, some mustard and cayenne, and that’s it!
Most recipes for pâté are made with chicken livers. I looked up a few recipes and they all start out with “Buy 15 chicken livers” and I’m just like naw man, I’m out. Braunschweiger all the way. It tastes amazing and I don’t have to slide livers into a skillet. I’ve come a long way you guys, but I’m not crazy.
A few weeks ago we had the missionaries from my church over for dinner. I asked them if they had had any terrible meals eating in people’s houses, and they said no, everyone has made really nice food.
Then they said, but we did have one terrible meal we cooked ourselves. We saw liver at the store for like a dollar a pound…so we bought some.
“And what did you do with it??”
“Heated it on the stove with some salt and pepper, then forked it in. It was nasty.”
So once again, thank your lucky stars that I am offering you this tasty pate recipe and not asking you to endure sautéed liver in the name of cheap food. 😂
This pate might not make it onto my “final meal” list, but I think it might make it onto my mother-in-law Kris’s. It really is delicious, and very nostalgic because her mother made it for every holiday. We still make it every Christmas Eve as an appetizer to our Swedish Meatballs. Some years Kris even makes traditional Swedish Flatbread, a very thinly rolled out homemade cracker. She made some this year, and that’s what’s in the photo above. Any sort of cracker will do!
Liver Pâté ingredients
There are only five! Full recipe card is below.
- Braunschweiger (you can usually find this in a well-stocked grocery store, located near Baloney lunchmeat)
- cream cheese
- Worcestershire
- dry mustard powder
- a bit of cayenne, it’s not spicy
How to make Pâté
It’s so easy guys. Braunschweiger, at least the John Morrell brand I buy, usually comes in a 16-ounce package, and we only need a half pound for this recipe. So chop it in half.
Add it to a food processor with about a half block of cream cheese, and a bit of Worcestershire sauce.
Then blend it up, scrape the sides, and voila!
That’s really it!
Garnish with black pepper, fresh dill, and a drizzle of olive oil if you want to be real fancy. Serve with Rye bread or crackers. Our family eats it with Flatbread, a homemade Swedish cracker with anise and other spices.
How to store liver pâté
Liver pâté keeps well in the fridge for about 5 days. If you plan to store any longer than that, freeze it in a well sealed container. It will keep for 2-3 months. Let thaw in the refrigerator.
Other Appetizer Ideas
- Pâté is a great dish to serve with cheese and crackers. Read here How to Make a Charcuterie Board! It would be a great “anchor” dish.
- We love to serve this pâté with Swedish Rye Bread
- Dijon Deviled Eggs with Maple Candied Bacon
- Sausage Cream Cheese Dip
- Bacon Blue Cheese Dip
- Cheesy Buffalo Chicken Dip
- 7 Layer Bean Dip << This is another classic from a friend of Eric’s family
- Tzatziki Sauce
Liver Pâté Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 ounces Braunschweiger
- 3 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- black pepper, optional
- fresh dill, optional
- olive oil, optional
Instructions
- Slice the Brunsweiger in half, if you have 1 pound. Add it to the food processor.
- Add 3 ounces of cream cheese. This is a little less than half of an 8 ounce block.
- Add 1 tablespoon Worcestershire, 1/4 teaspoon dry mustard, and 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper. The cayenne adds flavor, not heat.
- Blend well, scrape the sides, and blend a second time.
- Scrape into a serving bowl. Garnish with black pepper, fresh dill, and a drizzle of olive oil if you want to be real fancy. Serve with Rye bread, crackers, or Swedish flatbread.
- Store covered in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Can’t get enough of this! I can eat it by the spoonful with or without rye bread or flatbread. Thanks for posting it Karen. You’re a good sport for trying it and posting it! It’s definitely not on most people’s favorites list. Kind of like Tomato Aspic. 🙀
Tomato Aspic is DEFINITELY next on my list for family heritage recipes!! ahaha!!! Can’t wait to see people’s eyes bug out of their head 😂😂