Mushroom Pâté

I love pâté, all kinds of pâté, but last year I tried a new to me pâté. At my friends wedding she had these amazing picnic baskets set out for all of the guests. Each was filled with an assortment of goodies and treats among which was a delicious mushroom pâté. Why hadn’t I thought of that before? This version was such a fantastic alternative to the traditional liver based variety. So I went home and thought, why not try and make it myself?

Full of earthy notes this savoury pâté is made up of mushrooms and nuts. You could use any kind of mushrooms you like, and likewise any kind of nut you have on hand. This pâté makes makes an excellent snack or appetizer spread on baguette or crackers, accompanied by cheese or pickles. It is also makes a great vegetarian or vegan sandwich filling. Toss it in a basket with a baguette or your favourite crackers, some cheeses, a thermos of hot toddy and embrace the season with a fall picnic!

Mushroom Pâté
Makes 1 cup

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup pecans, toasted
• 1 shallot (or 1/2 small onion), chopped
• olive oil (for sautéing)
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups mushrooms, chopped
• 1/2 tsp dried herbs (I like a mix of sage, rosemary, thyme)
• 2 tsp. apple cider vinegar (or whatever you have on hand – red wine, white wine, balsamic, would be great alternatives)
• salt
• pepper

Heat a drizzle of olive oil in skillet over medium heat. Add shallots and cook for a few minutes until translucent and starting to brown. Stir in garlic and sauté for 30 seconds or so then add mushrooms and dried herbs. Continue to cook until mushrooms have softened then add vinegar. Using a wooden spoon scrape up any caramelized bits on the bottom of the pan until vinegar has mostly evaporated then remove from heat.

Place sautéed mushroom mixture and toasted pecans in a food processor and pulse, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary, until it forms a smooth paste, season with salt and pepper to taste.