Vermont Recipes Mushroom Almond Pate

VERMONT RECIPES MUSHROOM-ALMOND PATE

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.

ALMOND MUSHROOM PATE

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.

MUSHROOM ALMOND PATE

Steps:

• Process garlic in food processor. Add the onion and process until the onion is chopped. Set this mixture aside. Coarsely chop the mushrooms in the food processor. In a frying pan, melt the butter, then add the garlic-onion mixture, mushrooms, salt, thyme, and pepper. Cook until the liquid has evaporated. Set aside. Process the almonds until coarsely chopped. Remove 2 tablespoons of almonds and set aside. Continue processing the rest, while pouring the oil down the tube until the mixture is creamy. Add the mushroom mixture and continue to process until the pate is smooth. Add the reserved nuts and blend with 2 on-off bursts. Cover and chill.

ALMOND MUSHROOM PATE

Steps:

• or kefir cheese, or Neufchatel cheese GARNISH: slivered or finely chopped almonds, fresh parsley sprigs, pimiento strips, or sweet red pepper strips, optional In a large skillet, melt margarine. Add onion, garlic, and mushrooms. Sauté 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. Makes 1½ cups. VARIATIONS: ~ Substitute other vegetables for the mushrooms (maybe broccoli.) ~ Substitute ½ teaspoon fennel for the tarragon and 1 cup whole pecans for the almonds ~ vary the flavor by using other seasonings such as basil, oregano, dillweed, curry powder, or nutmeg.

MUSHROOM AND NUT PATE

Steps:

• Put seeds and nuts in a medium bowl and cover with water. Soak the nuts for about 6 hours. Drain, rinse, and drain again.
• Reduce vinegar in a small, heavy bottom of saucepan, on medium heat, until syrupy, about 30 minutes.
• In a saute pan, heat 1/4 cup of the olive oil over high heat. Add in the onions, lower to medium high and saute for about 2 to 3 minutes. Add in the mushrooms and continue to saute. Once the onions and mushrooms are browned, remove from heat.
• Rehydrate the figs in the Marsala on low heat in a small pan for about 10 minutes. Strain, reserving figs and Marsala and set aside.
• In food processor, add in the nuts, remaining oil, mushrooms, onions, basil, scallions, salt, pepper, and the Marsala drained from the figs. Blend well and adjust seasoning. Make sure the mixture is smooth.
• Spoon mixture onto a chip, place a fig on top and drizzle with balsamic syrup.

EASY DANISH ALMOND PASTRIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a 9x13-inch cake pan with parchment paper.
• Unroll 1 tube of crescent roll dough and spread in the bottom of the prepared pan. Seal the seams of the dough to prevent from separation.
• Roll almond paste into a thin sheet, large enough to cover your cake pan. Cut edges with a knife or rolling pizza cutter.
• Combine mascarpone cheese, 1/2 cup white sugar, and egg yolk in the bowl of an electric mixer; mix until thoroughly combined and smooth with no lumps remaining. Spread evenly on top of dough. Place rolled out almond paste on top of cheese mixture.
• Open the remaining tube of crescent dough, unroll it, and put on top of the almond paste. Seal all of the seams and ensure dough covers the entire top of the pan. Whisk egg white and use a pastry brush to spread on the top of the rolled out dough. Spread sliced almonds on top to coat. Lightly sprinkle remaining white sugar evenly on top.
• Bake in the preheated oven until top is golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
• Meanwhile, mix powdered sugar and water for glaze together in a bowl. Drizzle over the top of the cooled Danish and cut.

MUSHROOM ALMOND PATE

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.

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.

CHOCOLATE AMARETTI TORTE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Butter an 8-inch round cake pan. Line the bottom with waxed paper and butter the paper. Dust the inside of the pan with flour and tap out the excess.
• Melt the chocolates in the top of a double boiler over hot water or in a bowl in a microwave and set aside.
• Place the amaretti and almonds in a food processor and pulse several times, until the mixture is evenly ground. Turn out onto a sheet of waxed paper and reserve.
• Put the butter, sugar and eggs into the processor bowl and process until the mixture is satiny smooth and no longer grainy, about 3 minutes. Stop to scrape the bowl occasionally.
• Add the amaretti and almond powder and the melted chocolate. Pulse until well combined. Turn the batter into the prepared pan and bake in the oven, on the center rack, for 25 to 30 minutes. The top will look dry and perhaps cracked; the center will be moist. Cool on a cake rack for 30 minutes. Run a blunt knife around the edge of the pan and turn out the torte. Peel off the wax paper, invert and cool on a rack. Dust with confectioners' sugar or cocoa.
• Slice thinly and serve at room temperature with whipped cream or ice cream.

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.

WILD MUSHROOM PATE

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.