chopped liver en croûte

I suppose I got the entertaining bug from my mother. She did it often, and she did it well.

I remember her dinner parties from my childhood. They were legendary. Everything was perfect. The house, often cluttered with the papers of an overworked teacher, was sparkling clean and tidy. The table was gorgeous and elegant, down to the individual cigarette boxes and ashtrays. (dinner parties of the 1950s-60s, where everyone smoked at the table between courses…) The food was wonderful. Whether we were celebrating a holiday or we were simply ”having company,” I loved these occasions and I loved to help.

This is one of the standard hors d’oeuvres from her arsenal. Thin slices of Pepperidge Farm white bread were slathered with her famous chopped liver, then sandwiched and soaked in a rich French Toast batter. After frying them up, they’d be cut into fourths and frozen, to be popped into the oven whenever they were needed. She usually served them with thinned raspberry jam for dipping.

We didn’t keep kosher, so the batter contained milk and the sandwiches were fried in butter. Switching out the milk for a non-dairy milk and frying in oil does them no disservice. In fact, they come out crispier this way.

Ingredients:

• My Mother’s Chopped Liver

• 10 slices Pepperidge Farm white bread, crusts carefully trimmed

• 4 eggs

• 2 tablespoons milk, or your favorite non-dairy milk (almond milk works well)

• ¼ teaspoon salt

• ½ teaspoon vanilla paste or extract

• a hearty dash each of cardamom and [preferably freshly grated) nutmeg

• avocado or sunflower oil for frying

• Optional: 1/2 a small onion diced small, and a jar of raspberry jam (any type is fine)

Method:

• Generously spread 5 slices of the bread with chopped liver. Try to make an even layer.

• In a flat dish (I find a rectangular Pyrex works well), whisk the eggs with the milk, the salt, the vanilla, and the spices.

• Lay the sandwiches out in the egg mixture in a single layer. If they don’t all fit, do this in batches.

• Let them sit for 2—3 minutes, then carefully turn them over and let them soak up the batter for another few minutes.

• Heat a skillet over medium/low heat and add a thin layer of oil. Add as many sandwiches as will fit and cover the pan. Fry until golden, then remove the cover and fry them on the other side. Repeat with the rest of the sandwiches.

• When they’re cool enough to handle, cut each one into four squares. Serve them immediately with the raspberry jam. (see below)

• Or

• Lay them out on a baking sheet in a single layer, keeping them separated. Slide the tray into the freezer.

• When they’re frozen, remove them from the tray and store them in zip bags. Try to get out as much air as possible.

• When you want to serve them, preheat your oven to 350°. (If your oven is already on at a different temperature for something else that you’re baking, that’s fine. Just be aware that the sandwiches will take less, or more, time to heat.

• Remove as many as you want to use from the bag and place them on an ungreased baking sheet. I like to cover the pan with a sheet of parchment paper.

• Slide the sheet into the oven and bake until heated through.

• While they’re warming, make the raspberry onion dipping sauce. In a small pot or pan, sauté the diced onion, with a pinch of salt, in a small amount of oil—just enough to keep it from sticking. When the onion begins to turn golden, transfer the contents of a jar of raspberry jam to the pan. Add a splash of water and heat, stirring, until the jam is melted. Pour the melted onion jam into a pretty serving bowl and serve with the sandwiches.