French Truffle-Flavored Chicken Liver Terrine (for a Crowd)

I’m still cooking for the family party we’re having Sunday afternoon…looks to be 75 to 80 friends stopping by. I wanted to make a creamy pate to spread on crackers and toasts rather than the sort of sturdy composition of meats (also called pate) one bakes, slices, and serves on a plate with a fork.
I went straight to the young Jacques Pepin’s, “A French Chef Cooks At Home” for his Terrine de Foies de Volaille. In my years of giving big parties, it was my mainstay—always the best I ever ate. (I confess I did gild Pepin’s lily by adding a sweet apple, a trick I learned from a great cook, high school friend of my mother’s, the artist Robert Tyler Lee.)
Today I decided to make a lighter version, use less butter and omit Pepin’s finish of whipped cream. Instead my enrichment was an ingredient I’d never heard of in the 70’s: truffle oil. Truffle oil is costly but an enormous value for the money—a thread, a spoonful, makes an amazing impact in a dish, and a small bottle can last months in the fridge.
Should you, too, be entertaining the masses, here's a recipe for a delectable pate easily made that can be prepared in advance. It serves 40 at least, but of course you can reduce the proportions (or indulge yourself...).
Generous 5 pounds fresh chicken livers
6 cups water
4 leafy stalks celery, cut up to fit the pot
2¼ pounds unsalted butter, softened
4 small Gala or Golden Delicious apples, peeled, cored, chopped small
3 very large shallots or 2 small onions, peeled and chopped small
5 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
¼ cup good brandy
1 rounded teaspoon nutmeg, preferably freshly grated
½ teaspoon ground cloves
4 shakes (1/8 teaspoon) cayenne pepper
3 tablespoons truffle oil
About ½ tablespoon kosher salt
Freshly ground white pepper
While using scissors to snip out the fatty connective tissue of the livers, place the water and celery in a large (at least 4½ quarts) saucepan, bring to a boil, and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the livers, return to a simmer, then reduce the heat, cover, and cook without letting the water boil for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and let set 10 more minutes; the centers of the livers should still be slightly pink. Drain in a colander.
Meantime, melt a cube of the butter in a sauté pan and cook the apples, shallots, and garlic over medium-low heat until golden and thoroughly soft.
In batches in a food processor, puree the livers with the butter and apple mixture until smooth smooth smooth. Turn into a large bowl as you go and stir to blend in each batch. Finally, blend in the brandy, nutmeg, cloves, cayenne, then the truffle oil. Add salt and white pepper to taste.
Smooth into serving bowls, cover airtight with plastic film, and refrigerate up to 1 week before serving with French bread, crackers, or toasts.
Cornichon pickles on the side are a nice touch.