Sautee onions in 2 Tablespoons oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until golden brown; transfer to a bowl. Sear chicken livers in remaining heated oil over medium high heat, turning once. Reduce heat and continue to cook until firm, about 7 minutes.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer livers to a plate and cool to room temperature.   Place eggs and onion in food processor bowl; pulse turn on and off to blend and finely chop.  Transfer mixture to a mixing bowl.  Add cooked livers to the same food processor bowl; pulse on and off until finely chopped. Stir into onion mixture until combined and season with salt and pepper to taste. If mixture is crumbly, you may add 1-2 tablespoons of water.   Serve with crackers, bread, and an assortment of pickles and olives, to garnish.

Almost Eli's Original Plain Cheesecake
Serves 12.

Of course we can't reveal Eli's secret recipe, but here is a great Chicago-style cheesecake to try.

Ingredients:
4 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 large eggs
1 egg yolk
6 tablespoons sour cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Graham cracker or cookie crust for 9-inch spring form pan (recipe follows)

Preparation:  Heat oven to 350 degrees. Beat cream cheese, sugar and flour in mixing bowl of an electric mixer until light and creamy. Add eggs and yolk, one at a time, scraping down sides of bowl until completely incorporated. Add sour cream and vanilla. Beat mixture, scraping down sides of bowl, until smooth.  Pour mixture into prepared crust in un-greased 9-inch spring form pan; place on cookie sheet. Bake until cake is firm around edge and center barely jiggles when tapped, about 45 minutes. Refrigerate at least 8 hours or overnight to completely set up before serving.

Crust:

Crumb Crust 
1 ½ cups vanilla wafers (ground) 
½ cup powder sugar 
¾ cup melted butter 

Mix all ingredients in medium bowl using your fingertips until mixture is well moistened.

Graham Crust
1 ½ cups graham meal
½ cup brown sugar
¾ cup melted butter
½ tsp. cinnamon

Mix all ingredients in medium bowl using your fingertips until mixture is well moistened.

Eli’s Goat Cheese Cheesecake with Toasted Almond Crust
Eli's Exectuive V.P. of Operations, Jolene Worthington, demonstrated this light and fresh cheesecake recipe at Chicago’s Green City Market. We ONLY make this cheesecake for special internal events - but you can make it yourself with the recipe below!

Serves 12

Cheesecake: 

2 oz. Cream Cheese (1/4 of an 8 oz. package) 
1 cup Goat cheese (like Chevre) 
1/2 cup Ricotta cheese 
1/4 cup Mascarpone  
1/4 cup Sour Cream 
3/4 cup Granulated Sugar 
1 Tbsp. Cake Flour 
3 Large Eggs 
Zest of One Lemon 

Pre-heat oven to 275º F. Begin with all of your ingredients at room temperature. 

In a food processor, puree the ricotta cheese until smooth. Repeat with the goat cheese. Beat the cream cheese in mixer until smooth. Add goat cheese, mascarpone and ricotta and beat until incorporated. Add sugar, flour, lemon zest and cream until smooth. Add eggs one at a time, scraping the sides of the mixing bowl with a rubber spatula after each addition to incorporate all ingredients.  Fold in sour cream until just blended. Fill prepared ramekins with batter and bake in a water bath for about 20 minutes or until cheesecakes reach an internal temperature of 150º F. 

Toasted Almond Crust: 

1/2 cup Roasted Almonds, Chopped 
1/2 cup Crushed Shortbread Cookies 
1/4 cup Granulated Sugar 
1/4 cup Melted Butter 
1 tsp. Salt 
12 - 6 oz. Ramekins 

Coarsely chop shortbread cookies and almonds in a food processor. Add sugar, salt, and butter and pulse until just incorporated and mixture holds together when squeezed between your fingers. Press crust into buttered ramekins, using enough to make the crust about 1/4 inch thick, and set aside. 

Easy Raspberry Sauce  

Makes a great cheesecake topping!

1 pound frozen raspberries (unsweetened) 

1 cup granulated sugar 

Juice from 1 lemon 

Combine above ingredients in a glass or plastic bowl and cover with plastic wrap.  Allow to sit for about 1 hour at room temperature or until berries are thawed. Blend mixture in blender or food processor until liquid. Press the mixture through a fine sieve to remove seeds. Pour into a medium saucepan and bring to a boil; lower the temperature and simmer over medium heat until sauce thickens, about 5 minutes.Cool sauce to room temperature and then refrigerate until use. After cooling, stir in 2-4 tbsp. of your favorite fruit liqueur (like Chambord or Grand Marnier) or to taste before serving, if desired.