Pâté is one of those foods that you either love or hate, and it’s a love affair for me.
It is generally quite rich and indulgent, with liver being the most common ingredient along with a deep liquor to balance with the light velvety smoothness that is the calling card of a good pâté.
I personally love chicken and duck liver the most, and these would be the two that I would most commonly make, but with a large bag of earthy mushrooms arriving to my care recently, the scent screamed ‘douse me in alcohol and blend me to a creamy buttery spread!’ Also, mushroom pâté is ridiculously easy and cheap to make.
This is a lovely gift idea if you are visiting friends for dinner, or as a dinner party option in itself.
The top is a seal of clarified butter, to which I have decorated with peppercorns, a bay leaf and edible flower petals. Why not try pink peppercorns with yours, it's another one of my favourite butter-seal decorations.
Ingredients
120g mixed wild mushrooms
2 medium shallots
1 clove garlic
1/2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 tsp chopped fresh thyme
1/2 tsp chopped fresh parsley
50ml dry white wine
1 tbsp brandy
1 tsp butter
3 tbsp cream cheese
Sea salt and black pepper
Seal
2 tbsp butter
2 bay leaves
Selection of herbs/edible flowers
Selection of peppercorns
Method
Wipe excess dirt from the mushrooms and chop roughly. Peel and dice the shallot and garlic.
Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a pan and add the mushrooms, shallot and garlic. Sauté over a low-medium heat for eight minutes.
Add the fresh herbs and the brandy and cook for a further minute then add the wine.
Continue cooking until the wine is almost dissolved then add the butter.
Sauté for a further three minutes, add a little salt and pepper then transfer to a food blender with the cream cheese.
Process to a smooth paste and spoon into clean sterilised jars.Clarified butter-seal
Over a very low heat, melt the butter.
Skim off the white floating foam on the top and pour off the clear golden liquid into a separate container, avoiding the white fatty solid that is below.
Pour the clear golden liquid butter on top of the pâté to seal.
Decorate with your choice of leaves/herbs.Visit Ethna's blog, Ethna Cooks Everything, for more recipes.
Pâté is one of those foods that you either love or hate, and it’s a love affair for me.
It is generally quite rich and indulgent, with liver being the most common ingredient along with a deep liquor to balance with the light velvety smoothness that is the calling card of a good pâté.
I personally love chicken and duck liver the most, and these would be the two that I would most commonly make, but with a large bag of earthy mushrooms arriving to my care recently, the scent screamed ‘douse me in alcohol and blend me to a creamy buttery spread!’ Also, mushroom pâté is ridiculously easy and cheap to make.
This is a lovely gift idea if you are visiting friends for dinner, or as a dinner party option in itself.
The top is a seal of clarified butter, to which I have decorated with peppercorns, a bay leaf and edible flower petals. Why not try pink peppercorns with yours, it's another one of my favourite butter-seal decorations.
Ingredients
120g mixed wild mushrooms
2 medium shallots
1 clove garlic
1/2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 tsp chopped fresh thyme
1/2 tsp chopped fresh parsley
50ml dry white wine
1 tbsp brandy
1 tsp butter
3 tbsp cream cheese
Sea salt and black pepper
Seal
2 tbsp butter
2 bay leaves
Selection of herbs/edible flowers
Selection of peppercorns
Method
Wipe excess dirt from the mushrooms and chop roughly. Peel and dice the shallot and garlic.
Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a pan and add the mushrooms, shallot and garlic. Sauté over a low-medium heat for eight minutes.
Add the fresh herbs and the brandy and cook for a further minute then add the wine.
Continue cooking until the wine is almost dissolved then add the butter.
Sauté for a further three minutes, add a little salt and pepper then transfer to a food blender with the cream cheese.
Process to a smooth paste and spoon into clean sterilised jars.Clarified butter-seal
Over a very low heat, melt the butter.
Skim off the white floating foam on the top and pour off the clear golden liquid into a separate container, avoiding the white fatty solid that is below.
Pour the clear golden liquid butter on top of the pâté to seal.
Decorate with your choice of leaves/herbs.Visit Ethna's blog, Ethna Cooks Everything, for more recipes.
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