Mushroom Almond Pate Recipes

Steps:

• Heat the butter in a large pan. Saute the onion, garlic, mushrooms and thyme over medium-low heat.
• Place the toasted almonds in a food processor with the olive oil and process until smooth. Add the mushroom mixture, balsamic vinegar and salt and pepper. Process until the mixture becomes either a bit chunky or very smooth, depending on preference. Transfer to a serving bowl and refrigerate, covered, for several hours.
• Serve with light rye bread, crackers, grapes, pears and Brie cheese.

Steps:

• In a large skillet, melt margarine.
• Add onion, garlic, and mushrooms.
• Saute until tender but not browned.
• Add tarragon, stir until it is softened.
• Pour mixture into a bowl of food processor.
• Add remaining ingredients.
• Process until mixture is smooth.
• Add cheese if you prefer a more spreadable consistency.
• Spoon into a serving bowl.
• Top with garnish of your choice.
• GARNISH: slivered or finely chopped almonds, fresh parsley sprigs, pimiento strips, or sweet red pepper strips, optional.
• People who do not like ordinary pate seem to love this one.
• Vary the herbs and substitute the vegetables as you wish.
• Serve with water crackers, thick slices of crusty French bread, thin slices of whole wheat bread, or unsalted whole wheat crackers.
• May be frozen.

Steps:

• Toast almonds and cool.
• Melt butter in a pan and add the other ingredients. Cook until mushrooms are soft.
• Reserving 2 T of almonds, blend the rest, adding olive oil as they blend. Stop when creamy and smooth.
• Add mushroom mix and blend.
• Place in serving bowl.
• Chop the 2 T of reserved almonds and put on top of the pate for serving.

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.

Steps:

• Toast the almonds.
• Coarsely chop garlic, onion and mushrooms in a food processor. Sauté in butter over medium-high heat with thyme, salt and pepper to taste, and wine; simmer until liquid has evaporated.
• Grind 3/4 cup of almonds finely; add oil and process until creamy. Add mushroom mixture and process until smooth. Mix remaining almonds slivers through the mixture; put into a mould and chill.
• Garnish with parsley before serving.

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a frying pan over a high heat, and fry the mushrooms for 15-20 mins until very soft, and any liquid that's been released has evaporated. Stir in the garlic, 1 tbsp thyme leaves, 1 tsp sea salt and a good grinding of black pepper, and cook for 3 mins more. Leave to cool slightly.
• Transfer the mushroom mixture to a food processor and blitz to a thick paste. Add 100ml soya cream, then blitz again until smooth and creamy, scraping down the sides as you go. You may need to add up to 50ml more cream. Season to taste, then spoon into a serving dish or bowl and smooth the top with the back of a spoon. Drizzle over enough olive oil to coat the top of the pâté - it should be just enough to stop it drying out. Cover and chill for 2 hrs until firm. Will keep in the fridge for up to 24 hrs.
• To make the walnuts, put the sugar in a medium heavy-based frying pan with 1 tsp water, and stir to dissolve. Bring to a medium-high heat and bubble for 10 mins without stirring until the sugar has melted and turned into a golden caramel. Stir in the nuts, 2 tsp thyme leaves and a pinch of sea salt, then tip onto a baking tray lined with baking parchment and leave to cool. Once cool and set, bash or break into chunks.
• To serve, spread the pâté over the sourdough toast, then cut into bite-sized squares. Top with dollops of chutney and the candied walnuts.