Best vegetable pate

12 servings

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
1 pounds Boneless, skinless chicken
Breasts, cut into chunks
1 Lemon, zest of, finely
Grated
1 pinch Cayenne
1 pinch Ground nutmeg
Salt and freshly ground
Black pepper to taste
2 Egg whites
2 cups Heavy cream
½ cup Chopped fresh basil
8 ounces Thin asparagus spears, ends
Trimmed
2 Carrots, peeled and cut into
Thin julienne
2 smalls Yellow summer squash, cut
Lengthwise into quarters
2 Sweet red peppers
½ ounce Dried morels
12 UP TO ...
14 Grape leaves (Packed in
Water), rinsed & patted dry
Tomato Vinaigrette (see
Recipe)

Directions

One day before serving, place the chicken breasts, lemon zest, cayenne, nutmeg, and salt and pepper to taste in a food processor fitted with a steel blade; process to a puree. Add the egg whites and process 10 seconds. Remove to a bowl and place in a larger bowl of crushed ice. Chill, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour. Remove from the ice and stir in the cream, 1 T at a time. Process a third of the mousseline and all of the basil in the food processor until blended. Refrigerate both mousselines separately. Blanch the asparagus, carrots, and summer squash separately in boiling water until tender but still crisp. Drain and refresh under cold running water. Pat dry and refrigerate covered until cold. Preheat the broiler. Roast the peppers under the broiler until the skins are blistered and black all over. Let stand in a covered bowl for 10 minutes. Remove the blackened skins, the cores, and seeds from the peppers; cut into thin strips. Soak the morels in hot water to cover for 30 minutes. Drain, pat dry, and cut lengthwise in half. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. To assemble pate, line the bottom and sides of an oiled 12 x 4" terrine with a single layer of the grape leaves.

Spread a thin layer of the plain mousseline in the bottom. Top with an even layer of the morels. Spread a thin layer of the basil mousseline over the morels and top with the summersquash. Spread another layer of the plain mousseline and add the asparagus in an even layer. Top with the remaining basil mousseline. Make the last vegetable layer with the carrot and red pepper strips. Spread with the last of the plain mousseline. Fold the edges of the grape leaves over the top and fill in the gaps on top with the remaining grape leaves. Cover the terrine with buttered aluminum foil and place in a larger baking pan. Pour hot water into the pan to come halfway up the side of the terrine. Bake until firm, 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes.

Cool to room temperature and refrigerate overnight. Just before serving, make the tomato vinaigrette. Cut the pate into thin slices and serve cold on a pool of vinaigrette. From The Silver Palate Good Times Cookbook by Julee Russo & Sheila Lukins. Submitted By TERRI WOLTMON On 04-22-95

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