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Recipe Detail Page
Mushroom Pâté
Holiday 2016
This rich, umami-packed vegetarian pâté is adapted from a recipe by chef Michael Leary, who developed it when he was at Sauvignon Bistro in Toronto. It’s important to season the hot pâté mixture aggressively—it should be salty like canned soup—as once it cools down, the perception of sodium is far more muted. If you don’t have mini loaf pans, you can use one 9 x 5-inch (23 x 13-cm) pan instead.
Serves 16
⅓ cup (80 mL) hazelnuts
3 lbs (1.5 kg) cremini mushrooms, quartered
3 tbsp (45 mL) extra virgin olive oil
2 large shallots, finely chopped
6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tbsp (15 mL) chopped thyme
⅔ cup (150 mL) unsalted butter, diced
2 tsp (10 mL) red miso paste
¼ cup (60 mL) finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Finely chopped chives for garnish
Sliced baguette and crackers for serving
1 Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).
2 Place hazelnuts on small baking tray. Bake until lightly browned and skins have cracked, about 7 to 8 minutes. Remove from oven. Place in clean kitchen towel. Fold towel over nuts and rub vigorously to remove skins. Return skinned hazelnuts to tray. Cool completely. Finely chop in food processor. Set aside.
3 Line 2 mini loaf pans (5¾ x 3¼ x 2¼ inch/14.5 x 8.5 x 5.5 cm) with plastic wrap. Working in batches, pulse mushrooms in food processor until finely chopped and just starting to clump together. (You will need to stop and scrape down the bowl several times.) Set aside.
4 Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add shallots. Cook, stirring, until tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Add garlic and thyme. Cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Add mushrooms, butter and miso. Raise heat to medium-high. Cook, stirring, until it comes to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium. Cook, stirring often, until excess moisture has evaporated, about 25 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in hazelnuts and parsley. Season generously with salt and pepper.
5 Divide mushroom mixture between pans. (Transfer any excess to a ramekin.) Lightly rap against counter to remove air bubbles. Cool. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
6 Unmould patés onto serving platters. Remove plastic wrap. Sprinkle with chives and serve with baguette and crackers.
Serves 16
