Wild Mushroom Pâté
This recipe comes from Smitten Kitchen, with very few adaptations. I use dried shitake mushrooms because they are on hand, but I've also made it with only common white mushrooms. The key really is the balance of herbs. I find the mushrooms soak in the flavour, so anticipate adding a good amount of your favourite herb.
Make this appetizer several hours or a day ahead to let the tastes develop. It's delicious smeared on a baguette, a thin slice of French bread or on a cracker. Here are more Appetizer options.
Yield: 2 cups pâté
Ingredients
1 ounce dried shitake, porcini or cepe mushrooms
1 cup boiling water
1/4 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons butter, divided
1 1/2 cups diced yellow onion or a combination of chopped onions and shallots (I used 1 cup onion, 1/2 cup shallots)
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 1/2 pounds mixed fresh mushrooms, any tough stems discarded and roughly chopped
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves or other favourite herb (use half if dry). Add more, a little at a time if desired
1/4 cup Madeira, Marsala or sherry (any sweet red including Manishewitz), or 1/2 cup white wine
Method
Combine dried mushrooms and boiling water in a small bowl and let soak for 30 minutes. Remove mushrooms, finely chop and set aside. Strain soaking liquid through a paper towel or coffee filter to remove any grit and set it aside.
Heat olive oil and 2 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat. Add onions and shallots, if using, and cook for 7 to 8 minutes, until they brown at the edges. Raise heat to high and add fresh mushrooms, thyme, salt and pepper. Cook, sauteeing, until mushrooms brown further and release their liquid. Cook until all of the liquid has evaporated, then add Madeira, Marsala, Manischewitz, sherry or wine and cook until the liquid has evaporated again.
Add rehydrated mushrooms and their soaking liquid, and cook this almost completely off. No liquid should run into the center if you drag your spoon through the mushrooms, clearing a path. Adjust seasonings to taste — seasoning is everything here — then stir in last tablespoon of butter.
Let mixture cool to lukewarm, then blend in a food processor, blender or with an immersion blender until desired consistency — I like mine almost but not completely smooth, although pâté is traditionally very smooth. Let chill in fridge for a few hours before serving, giving the flavours a chance to settle. Add more herbs or salt and pepper as desired. The pâté keeps in fridge for 5 days, in an airtight container.
This recipe comes from Smitten Kitchen, with very few adaptations. I use dried shitake mushrooms because they are on hand, but I've also made it with only common white mushrooms. The key really is the balance of herbs. I find the mushrooms soak in the flavour, so anticipate adding a good amount of your favourite herb.
Make this appetizer several hours or a day ahead to let the tastes develop. It's delicious smeared on a baguette, a thin slice of French bread or on a cracker. Here are more Appetizer options.
Yield: 2 cups pâté
Ingredients
1 ounce dried shitake, porcini or cepe mushrooms
1 cup boiling water
1/4 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons butter, divided
1 1/2 cups diced yellow onion or a combination of chopped onions and shallots (I used 1 cup onion, 1/2 cup shallots)
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 1/2 pounds mixed fresh mushrooms, any tough stems discarded and roughly chopped
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves or other favourite herb (use half if dry). Add more, a little at a time if desired
1/4 cup Madeira, Marsala or sherry (any sweet red including Manishewitz), or 1/2 cup white wine
Method
Combine dried mushrooms and boiling water in a small bowl and let soak for 30 minutes. Remove mushrooms, finely chop and set aside. Strain soaking liquid through a paper towel or coffee filter to remove any grit and set it aside.
Heat olive oil and 2 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat. Add onions and shallots, if using, and cook for 7 to 8 minutes, until they brown at the edges. Raise heat to high and add fresh mushrooms, thyme, salt and pepper. Cook, sauteeing, until mushrooms brown further and release their liquid. Cook until all of the liquid has evaporated, then add Madeira, Marsala, Manischewitz, sherry or wine and cook until the liquid has evaporated again.
Add rehydrated mushrooms and their soaking liquid, and cook this almost completely off. No liquid should run into the center if you drag your spoon through the mushrooms, clearing a path. Adjust seasonings to taste — seasoning is everything here — then stir in last tablespoon of butter.
Let mixture cool to lukewarm, then blend in a food processor, blender or with an immersion blender until desired consistency — I like mine almost but not completely smooth, although pâté is traditionally very smooth. Let chill in fridge for a few hours before serving, giving the flavours a chance to settle. Add more herbs or salt and pepper as desired. The pâté keeps in fridge for 5 days, in an airtight container.