Paris Seeks Inner Peace in Hawaii

Happy Fourth of July, Max! I’ll have to try your Maui Onion Pickle. Why does it have to take so long to taste the results? Yes, I know pickling is not a instant gratification thing. Still, a jar of those would go very nicely on a Fourth of July picnic. I actually have an instant pickle recipe (okay, it takes 24 hours) that I will send along as soon as I pull out my preserving cookbooks.

Ah, yes. Poor Paris is “getting in touch with her inner self” by enjoying herbal facials and Japanese massages. Question is: Does she have an “inner self” to get in touch with? I certainly haven’t seen any evidence of any kind of inner resolve, or “core values” as the Marines put it.

More likely, her family, or publicist, has sent her to a place without quite an many reporters where she can take advantage of all the free publicity by appearing in public with a big smile, and still be out of sight for her personal life. Has anyone recently gotten as much publicity out of a brief jail term?

This recipe could easily appear on the Hotel buffet for Paris. Hala-kahiki Pate was on a buffet we attended while in Hawaii some years ago, and I thought it is so cute. Pate, who but the rich would eat chicken livers and call it haute cuisine? The chef said that Hala-kahiki was Hawaiian for Pineapple, and I suppose he knew what he was talking about. Anyway, I didn’t have to ask for recipe, as it was nothing more than your basic pate, with Pineapple decorations. This does make a stunning display on a buffet table.

Hala-kahiki (Pineapple) Pate:

1 pound chicken livers
1 Maui onion
1 cup butter
3/4 teaspoon curry powder
3 ounces cream cheese
2 tablespoons brandy
Stuffed green olives, sliced
Fresh pineapple crown

Sauté the liver and onions in a pan with 1/4 cup of butter for 10 minutes. Add the curry powder, salt and pepper.

In a blender, process the livers with the remaining butter, cream cheese and brandy until very smooth. Mold into a shape that looks like the body of a pineapple. Cover and chill.

To serve, use the pineapple crown for the top of the pineapple and use the sliced green olives to simulate the rough exterior of a real pineapple.

Serve with mixed snack crackers as an appetizer or Pupu as the natives say.

Serves 1