Exotic Mushroom Pâté Recipes

EXOTIC MUSHROOM AND WALNUT PATE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spread walnuts in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Toast for 10 minutes, or until fragrant and lightly browned.
• In a large saute pan, cook shallots in butter over medium heat until translucent. Then add chopped mushrooms, garlic, parsley, thyme, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring often, until most of the liquid has evaporated.
• Process toasted walnuts and olive oil in a blender or food processor until mixture forms a thick paste. Spoon in the cooked mushroom mixture, and process to desired texture.
• Pack mixture into well-oiled ramekins or bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight.

RABBIT AND EXOTIC MUSHROOM POT PIE

Steps:

• For the Rabbit preparation: Let rabbit marinate several hours. In a covered casserole dish, braise rabbit with 1 quart chicken stock in a preheated 400 degree oven for 1 hour or until meat is tender and falling off the bone. Strain the liquid into a saucepan. Pick the meat from the rabbit and dice it into 1/2-inch squares. Set aside.
• For the Rabbit Sauce: Combine the above ingredients, except for roux and reduce by half. Thicken with roux. Adjust thickness with reserved strained rabbit braising liquid, if needed. Continue to reduce until mixture is thick and coats a spoon. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Strain and set aside.
• To make roux: Heat butter in a small saucepan and add flour, stirring constantly for a few minutes until thick and creamy, but not brown.
• For the Filling: Combine ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat. Add 2 cups rabbit sauce. Mix well. Keep warm until ready to assemble.
• For the Pumpkin Shells: Cut off top of pumpkin so that the seeds are exposed. Scoop out all of the seeds and soft flesh until you have what resembles a small bowl (be careful not to put a hole in the bottom of each pumpkin). In a preheated 350 degree F oven, place pumpkins cut side down on a sheet pan. Bake the pumpkin for 15 minutes or until it is cooked, but not collapsed. Turn them over cut side up to cool. Set aside until ready to use.
• For the Pastry: On a floured surface, cut 4 (2 1/2-inch) rounds from pastry. Set aside.
• To assemble: Place pumpkins on a baking sheet. Fill insides with rabbit-mushroom mixture. Top with pastry lid. Brush with egg. Arrange 1 mushroom on top of each lid.
• Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until perfectly golden brown.
• Serve at once, garnished with wild mushrooms and watercress sprigs around potpie.
• This recipe was provided by professional chefs and has been scaled down from a bulk recipe provided by a restaurant. The FN chefs have not tested this recipe, in the proportions indicated, and therefore, we cannot make any representation as to the results.

EXOTIC MUSHROOM PâTé

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.