Crispy Chicken Livers

“I love these crisp chicken livers,” says Matthew Ridgway, chef of The Pass in Rosemont, “because it is like fried chicken—but when made with offal it becomes an interesting take on a French classic.”

Crispy Chicken Livers With Crunchy Cabbage and Yogurt from The Pass in Rosemont.

Ingredients:

For the livers

500 g fresh chicken livers*
250 g Wondra flour
2 eggs, lightly beaten, for the egg wash
60 ml cooking oil
3 tbs butter
1 cup fresh Greek or cultured yogurt
1 cup raw cabbage, julienned
1 cup heirloom apples, julienned

For the sweet vinegar sauce

60 g bacon, rendered until crispy, then drained (set fat aside for another dish)
70 g butter, browned
10 g ketchup
10 g honey
20 g sherry vinegar
60 g olive oil
Whisk all ingredients together. And set aside

For the nut mixture

30 g toasted hazelnuts, ground
30 g toasted pumpkin seeds, ground
30 g toasted sesame seeds, ground
30 g dried lime powder (available in Middle Eastern markets)
30 g sumac powder (available in Middle Eastern markets)

Combine salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

Method

1) Combine all ingredients for the vinegar sauce in a bowl. Whisk together well. Set aside.
2) Combine all ingredients for the nut mixture in a bowl. Mix well. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
3) Clean chicken livers by soaking them in milk for a couple hours. Rinse in cool water, drain, pat dry with a paper towel.
4) Prepare the breading. Mix the dried lime powder, sumac powder and ground nut mixture.

–Set out three shallow bowls: In the first put the Wondra flour; in the second put the beaten eggs; in the third put the nut mixture.
–Season a few livers with the flour, then dip in the egg wash, then in the crumb mixture. Repeat until all the livers have been coated.

5) Heat the butter until a light foam forms. Fry the livers until golden brown, but just until medium rare.
6) Wilt the cabbage in the same pan, toss with the fresh yogurt and julienned apples.
7) Dip with the sweet vinegar sauce.
8) Serve with crusty bread and a French hard cider.

NOTE: In the accompanying photograph, you will notice that the livers are wrapped in cabbage leaves. That’s how we do it at The Pass. Try that if you wish, but I thought it would be easier to julienne them and prepare as described above.

 

* 1 gram = .04 ounces (approx.)
   1 milliliter = .2 teaspons (approx.)

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