Chicken Liver Pâté with Bourbon and Vanilla

You know that feeling when you taste something so good the only thing you can think is OMG this is the best pate I have ever tasted! Well, do yourself a favor and make this recipe. It is unbelievably delicious; easy to make and beautiful. You have to start your New Year’s Eve dinner with this appetizer.   Yield: About 2 cups   1 lb chicken livers 10 tablespoons butter, divided 1/4 cup minced shallot 2 bay leaves 1 vanilla bean 2/3 cup bourbon 1/4 cup cream Salt, to taste Sugar, to taste   Look the livers over and remove any greenish or blackish spots. Cut the livers into 1/2-inch pieces. Melt 8 tablespoons of the butter and set aside. Sauté the shallots in the 2 remaining tablespoons of butter over medium-high until translucent and fragrant.  Add the livers and bay and cook for 2 to 3 minutes more, until the livers are just stiffened, but still rosy inside.  Take care not to overcook them as this results in a grainy pâté.  Remove the bay leaves and scrape the livers and shallot into the jar of a blender. Pour the bourbon into the sauté pan.  Add the reserved bay leaves.  Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean pod and add them to the pan along with the pod.  Bring the bourbon to a boil and cook  it down until it has reduced by about half. Remove the bay leaves and vanilla bean pod and discard.  Scrape the reduced bourbon mixture into the blender jar. Add the cream and a pinch of salt and sugar to the blender jar. Cover and blend at top speed for several seconds until the liver is a smooth paste.  Add the melted butter and blend several seconds more. Force the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve or chinois.  Taste the pâté and add more bourbon, salt or sugar to taste. Pour into a pâté mold lined with plastic wrap or ramekins, cover, and chill thoroughly.