Curried Wild Mushroom Pâté Recipes

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spread walnuts on a baking pan. Bake until fragrant, about 7 minutes. Transfer walnuts to a bowl; set aside to cool. Finely chop, and reserve.
• In a large heavy skillet over medium heat, melt 4 tablespoons butter. Add mushrooms, scallions, and thyme, and cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid has been released and skillet becomes almost dry, 5 to 8 minutes. Stir in salt, pepper, and sherry. Cook until skillet is almost dry, about 10 minutes more. Remove from heat, and let cool.
• In a large bowl, combine mushroom mixture with reserved walnuts, parsley, lemon juice, Tabasco, and cream cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Line a 3-cup mold with plastic wrap, allowing for a 4-inch overhang on all sides. Spoon the mushroom mixture into the pan. Cover with overhanging plastic, and firmly press down all over terrine with hands; spread mixture as evenly as possible. Refrigerate for at least 8 hours, or overnight.
• Just before serving, melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a medium skillet, and cook halved mushrooms just until tender, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Unwrap chilled terrine, and invert it onto a small serving platter. Surround with cooked mushroom halves, and thyme leaves. Serve with toast points, water biscuits, or any plain cracker.

Steps:

• Melt butter in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, shallots, garlic, curry, and cumin and cook until mixture begins to brown and all liquid evaporates, stirring frequently, about 12 minutes. Cool.
• Using on/off turns, finely chop cashews in processor. Add oil and blend to coarse paste. Add mushroom mixture and chopped herbs; blend in using on/off turns until mushrooms are coarsely chopped. Season with salt and pepper.
• Spoon mushroom pâté into bowl. Cover and chill 4 hours. (Can be made 3 days ahead; keep chilled.)
• Garnish pâté with herb sprigs, if desired. Serve with toasts.

Steps:

• In a wide skillet, heat oil over medium-high. When hot, add squash cubes in one layer. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for about 2 minutes, letting cubes brown slightly, then flip and cook for 2 minutes more. Use a slotted spoon to lift squash out, and set aside.
• Cut a lengthwise slit in each chile to open it, but leave whole. (This helps the chiles heat the sauce without making it too spicy.)
• Add shallots, salt lightly and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add mustard seeds, cumin seeds and curry leaves, if using, and let sizzle for 30 seconds, then add garlic, coriander, cayenne, turmeric and chiles. Stir well and cook for 30 seconds more.
• Add mushrooms, season with salt and toss to coat. Cook, stirring, until mushrooms begin to soften, about 5 minutes.
• Return squash cubes to skillet, stir in coconut milk and bring to a simmer. Lower heat to medium and simmer for another 5 minutes. If mixture looks dry, thin with a little water. Taste and season with salt.
• Before serving, stir in lime juice. Transfer to a warm serving dish and garnish with cilantro.

Steps:

• Make the pâté:
• Butter loaf pan, then line bottom and sides with parchment paper and butter paper.
• Bring stock to a boil in a small saucepan. Remove pan from heat, add porcini, and let soak in hot stock until softened, about 30 minutes.
• With a slotted spoon, transfer porcini to a medium-mesh sieve set over a bowl. Press on porcini with back of a spoon to remove excess liquid, then add this to soaking liquid and reserve. Rinse porcini to remove any grit. Pat dry, chop, and put in a large bowl.
• Strain reserved soaking liquid through a fine-mesh sieve lined with a coffee filter or dampened paper towel into another small saucepan. Bring to a brisk simmer over moderate heat and simmer until reduced to about 1/4 cup, about 10 minutes. Add to porcini.
• Put a rack in middle of oven and preheat oven to 350°F. Heat 2 tablespoons butter in a large nonstick skillet over moderate heat until foam subsides. Add shallots and garlic and cook, stirring, until softened, about 6 minutes. Add sherry and cook, stirring for 1 minute. Transfer mixture to a blender. Heat 2 more tablespoons butter in skillet over moderately high heat until foam subsides. Add one third of shiitake and oyster mushrooms and cook, stirring, for about 2 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and cook remaining mushrooms in 2 batches, adding 2 more tablespoons butter to skillet for each batch. Add 2 cups sautéed mushrooms to shallot mixture in blender, and add remaining mushrooms to porcini mixture.
• Add cream, then eggs and almonds to blender and purée until mixture is very smooth, about 1 minute. Add purée to porcini mixture and stir in parsley, thyme, bread crumbs, lemon juice, salt, and pepper until well combined. Pour mixture into loaf pan and cover with foil.
• Put loaf pan in a larger baking pan and add enough boiling water to reach halfway up sides of loaf pan. Bake until set 1/2 inch from edges, about 50 minutes (pâté will not be completely set in center). Remove loaf pan from baking pan and let cool to room temperature on a rack. Refrigerate pâté in loaf pan, covered, for at least 6 hours. Bring pâté to room temperature before adding topping.
• While the pâté comes to room temperature, make the topping:
• Heat butter and oil in a large skillet over moderately high heat until foam subsides. Add mushrooms and almonds and cook, stirring, until mushrooms are tender and liquid they give off has evaporated, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a heatproof bowl and let cool, then add parsley, salt, and pepper and toss to combine.
• To unmold pâté, run a thin knife between paper and edges of loaf pan. Invert a large plate over loaf pan and invert pâté onto plate (peel off paper). Mound topping on pâté, and spread on toasts and/or crackers.