Ingredients
Pâté
- 500 gpork liver, trimmed of sinew
- 250 gpork back fat or fatty belly
- 1onion, quartered
- 3anchovy fillets
- 2eggs
- 40 gplain flour
- 300 mlwhole milk
- 40 gbutter
- 2 tspsalt
- 1 tspground white pepper
- ½ tspground allspice
- ¼ tspground cloves
- ¼ tspground thyme
To serve
- rye bread
- pickled beetroot
- crisp fried bacon and sautéed mushrooms, if you like
Directions
- Mince the liver, fat and onion together twice through the fine plate of a mincer, or blitz them in a processor until completely smooth. Any texture left here shows in the finished pâté as grittiness.
- Melt the butter in a pan, stir in the flour and cook for a minute, then whisk in the milk gradually to make a smooth thick béchamel. Cool it slightly.
- Blend the liver mixture with the béchamel, eggs, anchovies, salt, pepper, allspice, cloves and thyme until completely smooth. The béchamel is what makes leverpostej soft and spreadable rather than firm like a French pâté.
- Pour into a buttered loaf tin or several small dishes and set them in a roasting tin. Pour boiling water into the roasting tin to come halfway up the sides.
- Bake at 170°C (340°F) for about an hour, until the centre reaches 70°C (158°F) and a skewer comes out clean. The water bath is what keeps the eggs from scrambling and the edges from setting hard before the middle is done.
- Cool in the tin. It can be eaten warm, which is how Danes prefer it, or cold from the fridge.
- Spread thickly on rye bread with pickled beetroot, or with bacon and mushrooms for the fuller smørrebrød.
Technique
- The anchovies are traditional and do not taste of fish in the finished pâté. They deepen it — leave them out and it tastes thin.
- Do not skip the water bath. Baked dry, the outside goes rubbery and weeps fat while the centre is still raw.
- Trim the liver properly. Sinew does not break down and gives stringy threads through an otherwise smooth pâté.
Substitutions
- Calf’s liver for a milder pâté, or chicken livers for a softer one.
- Cream for some of the milk, which makes it richer.
- Bacon in place of the back fat, which adds salt — reduce the seasoning accordingly.
Variations
- The classic smørrebrød tops it with bacon and mushrooms and is served warm.
- A coarser version minces the liver only once and is closer to a country pâté.
History
Pork liver pâté became an everyday smørrebrød topping once Danish factories began producing it cheaply in the late nineteenth century.
Frequently asked questions
What is Leverpostej?
Leverpostej is a charcuterie & cured from Denmark: warm liver pâté spread on rye, topped with pickled beet. Pork liver pâté became an everyday smørrebrød topping once Danish factories began producing it cheaply in the late nineteenth century.
How long does Leverpostej take to make?
Leverpostej takes 25 min of preparation and 1 hour 15 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes serves 8. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Leverpostej?
Yes, within limits. Calf’s liver for a milder pâté, or chicken livers for a softer one. Cream for some of the milk, which makes it richer. Bacon in place of the back fat, which adds salt — reduce the seasoning accordingly.
What is the most important thing to get right in Leverpostej?
Blend the liver mixture with the béchamel, eggs, anchovies, salt, pepper, allspice, cloves and thyme until completely smooth. The béchamel is what makes leverpostej soft and spreadable rather than firm like a French pâté.
