Chicken Liver and Oyster Pate

The other day hubby and I revisited a seafood restaurant that has changed its name and menu. He wasn't a big fan of pate, but he tried one of their hit appetizers with me, the chicken liver and oyster pate, and kept raving about it throughout the meal.
I am always a big fan of pate and this one is truly delicious. I was already planning how to replicate that while enjoying it at the restaurant. This is surprisingly an easy recipe and I adjusted the ingredient portions after I tried making it.

So here is the Chicken Liver and Oyster Pate from my kitchen:

Ingredients

1/2 lb. of fresh chicken liver

4 oysters

1 small yellow onion

1 pear, peeled

1 tbs. butter

1 tsp. Corn starch or flour

Dried herbs

Salt and pepper

How

1. To clean the oysters, rinse the oysters gently under cold water to remove the slimy liquid then place them in a small bowl. Sprinkle in 1 tsp. of flour or starch then mix well very gently. Let it sit for least 15 minutes.
   
2. Dice the onion and the pear separately into very very small pieces, about 1/4 cm cubes. This is to increase their cooking surface therefore speeding up the caramelization process. 
   
3. Heat up a deep pan on high heat and melt the butter. Add onion then stir well. Turn the heat down to low and stir fry for 3 minutes. 
4. Turn the heat back on high and add the pear. Stir well then return the heat back to low. Add a dash of dry herbs then stir fry them until the pear is completely soften. My pear wasn't quite ripened yet so it took about 10 minutes.
   
5. While cooking the onion and pear, wash the oysters. Under the cold running water, gently scrub off the slime and black stuff with hands. Remove and discard the hard muscles.
   
6. Turn the heat back on high then add the liver and oysters and stir well. Everything will start to sweat and look a little unappetizing, but that's okay. Bring everything to a boil then turn down the heat. Summer on low heat with lid on for 5 minutes. Stir occasionally.
   
7. After 5 minutes, everything should be fully cooked. Turn off the heat and transfer the mixture into a food processor. I used a hand held blender so I transferred everything to a medium size pot. Add a dash of salt, about 1/8 tsp., and freshly ground pepper to taste. Mix well then blend the mixture until smooth.
8. Transfer the pate into separate small ramekins or heat proof glassware. Gently drop each onto your palm few times to remove any excess air. Set them aside and let them cool to room temperature. At this point, you can store them in freezer or fridge until serving.
9. To serve, sprinkle the top with a thin layer of coarse sugar and finish it off with a torch. Serve with fresh toasts.
   

Note: 

• The color of my pate is very unappetizing. I believe it is because of the orange color of some liver. Next time I will make sure I pick only the pink ones.
• I found the oyster flavor is not strong enough in this recipe. So next time I have adjusted the ingredient portions.
• It should taste even better using fresh herbs like thyme instead of using dry ones. Thinly chop the thyme and add at the end of the cooking process.
• Always wait for the pate to cool down completely before making the candied sugar top, or the sugar top will melt.