Sunday, December 4, 2011
A GOOD HOLIDAY APPETIZER: SMOKED ALMOND MUSHROOM PÂTÉ
I made this the other day for my husband's photography students (they were having a little party at the end of the course), and I'd like to share it with you for holiday entertaining. It's adapted from my book, The Fiber for Life Cookbook. This type of vegetarian pâté appeared in mainstream magazines in the early 80's and became deservedly popular party fare. I think it must have originated with this Blue Diamond® Almonds recipe, which is listed on their website as one of their "classic" recipes.
For the book, I modernized (and veganized, and lowered the fat) it by omitting the butter, using fewer almonds and more mushrooms, and using slightly more authoritative seasoning. This time I decided to use smoked-hickory almonds for even more flavor, and it worked beautifully-- it's even more delicious, I think.
Printable Recipe
BRYANNA'S SMOKED ALMOND MUSHROOM PÂTÉ
Servings: 6
Yield: 1 1/2 cups
Very easy to make!
Very easy to make!
1/2 medium onion
1 large clove garlic, peeled and crushed
3/4 lb fresh white or cremini (brown) mushrooms, cleaned and thickly-sliced
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/8 tsp freshly-ground black pepper
1 cup hickory-smoked almonds or any smoked almonds (sift off any excess powdery coating)
1 Tbs dry sherry
Garnish
Fresh parsley or rosemary or thyme leaves
chopped hickory-smoked almonds
Process the onion and garlic in a food processor until finely chopped. Add the mushrooms through the top with the motor running, until they are all chopped. Spray a large nonstick, hard-anodized or cast iron skillet with a little oil from a pump sprayer and heat it over medium-high heat. When it's hot, add the chopped vegetables, salt, thyme and pepper, and cook, stirring frequently, until the liquid exudes from the mushrooms, and then has pretty much evaporated again. Remove from heat.
While the mushrooms cook, clean and dry the food processor bowl and blade.
Place the smoked almonds into the cleaned and dried food processor and process them until they almost become a paste. With the machine turned off, scrape them from the sides toward the inside and then add the cooked mushroom mixture and the wine. Process the mixture until quite smooth, stopping the machine to push the mixture towards the blade if necessary.
Pack the mixture into an oiled shallow bowl, cover and chill. When cool, serve in the bowl, or invert the mound onto a serving plate. Garnish as desired and serve with crusty artisinal bread, crackers, rye crisp, and/ or raw vegetables. (If you make this ahead of time, or have leftovers, keep it covered and refrigerated.)
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per 1/4 cup): 158.5 calories; 64% calories from fat; 12.4g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 237.5mg sodium; 369.5mg potassium; 7.7g carbohydrates; 3.6g fiber; 2.6g sugar; 4.2g net carbs; 7.0g protein; 3.5 points.
Enjoy!
Enjoy!
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7 comments:
This looks (and sounds) delicious!
This looks (and sounds) delicious!
What a fabulous recipe! I can't wait to try it!
I am sO making this! Thank you, Bryanna, just like your recipes, your generosity never ceases to amaze me :^)
Oh, my, does this sound good. If it's anything like your other pates, I'm going to love it!
This post is absolutely fetish-worthy and I've been inspired to include it in my Friday Food Fetish blog. If you have any objections, please let me know
JavelinWarrior, I'd be honored! Thanks for asking!
Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe, Bryanna! Eventually, I want to get all your books. I have World Vegan Feast. I purchased it new from Amazon. I also have 20 Minutes to Dinner. Amazon did not have it new so I had to settle for second hand. It's not in good condition and I will have to either return it or throw it out. It smells so moldy that I have to wear a mask to read it. I will have to try from another seller at Amazon. It looks like such a great book. I really must have it!
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