Mushroom Pate

What a wonderful way to end my week on Friday by being guest speaker at the Rotary Club of Guelph. I spoke about what I love to do and did a recipe demo of my mushroom pate. Always a big favourite for parties where some vegetarians may want to taste the rich texture and flavour of what is similar to a meat pate. I used similar spices and herbs to create the pate and mushrooms are the perfect medium for this as they absorb the flavour perfectly and then once caramelized they create such a great colour. The hint of dry sherry marries well with the mushrooms and is a tasty topper to baguette slices or even with crackers.
This recipe can be used as a base for others like, mushroom soup, pasta sauce or as a filling for ravioli! It's all available with a few simple ingredients. I hope you enjoy it!

Mushroom Pâté

This recipe is from my cookbook "Get in the Kitchen and Cook!" available on blurb.com 

Pâtés are a classic during any gathering and here is one that will become a staple for meat eaters and vegetarians alike. The punchy flavour of nutmeg and thyme bring out the woodsy taste of the mushrooms and make a perfect pâté every time. Serve with artisan crisps or your favourite crackers.

1/4 cup (50 mL) butter

1 large onion, finely chopped

4 cups (1 L) wild mushrooms, finely chopped (about 12 oz/375 g) (such as oyster, cremini, shitake or chanterelles)

1/2 tsp (2 mL) freshly grated nutmeg

1/2 tsp (1 mL) dried thyme leaves or 1 1/2 tsp (7 mL) chopped fresh thyme

Pinch salt

1/4 cup (50 mL) dry sherry

Pinch freshly ground pepper

2 tbsp (25 mL) each chopped walnuts and Italian parsley

In a nonstick skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat. Cook onions, mushrooms, nutmeg, thyme and salt for about 15 minutes or until no liquid remains and golden brown  Add the sherry and bring to a boil and cook, stirring for 2 minutes or until sherry evaporates. Stir in pepper. 

Scrape mixture into a food processor and puree until smooth, scraping sides as necessary. Scrape into a serving bowl and sprinkle with walnuts and parsley. 

Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 3 days. Bring to room temperature to serve.

Makes 1½ cups (375 mL)