Brandied mushroom-walnut pate
4 cups
Ingredients
| Quantity | Ingredient | |
|---|---|---|
| ½ | cup | Mild vegetable oil, such as |
| Corn or peanut or 8 T butter | ||
| 1 | large | Onion, chopped |
| 1 | medium | Carrot, scrubbed and grated |
| 1½ | pounds | Domestic white mushrooms, |
| Sliced | ||
| 1 | cup | English walnuts, toasted |
| 1 | tablespoon | Light miso, or to taste |
| 3 | tablespoons | Cognac |
| ¼ | teaspoon | Grond allspice |
| Several grating of fresh | ||
| Nutmeg | ||
| Salt and pepper to taste | ||
Directions
1. The day before serving, in a 10-inch skillet, heat ¼ cup of the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and saute until it starts to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the carrot and saute until slightly softened, about 3 minutes more. Scrape the onion and carrot into a food processor.
2. Add about one-third of the remaining oil to the skillet and heat over medium heat. Add one-third of the mushrooms and saute until the mushrooms become limp, about 7 minutes. Scrape the mushroooms into the food processor and repeat with the remaining oil and mushrooms.
3. Add to the processor the walnuts, peanut butter, miso, cognac, allspice, nutmeg, salt, and plenty of pepper. Puree until absolutely smooth. (It will be very thick.) Taste and adjust the seasoning. It may need additional miso, which gives it a salty, meaty heartiness.
4. Transfer the pate to a crock (or, less glamorously, to a refrigerator storage dish). Cover and refrigeate overnight ot ripen.
FROM: The Dairy Hollow / Soups & Bread , page 322 Submitted By BRENT WILLIAMS On 11-19-94