Chestnut Mushroom Pate

Total Time: 25 mins Preparation Time: 12 mins Cook Time: 13 mins

Ingredients

• 60 g unsalted butter
• 1 onion, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 500 g chestnut mushrooms
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 100 g cream cheese
• 100 ml fromage frais
• 1 cup slivered almonds, reserve a handful for garnish
• 1 cup walnuts, chopped

Recipe

• 1 chop the chestnut mushrooms, melt the butter and sauté the onion and garlic for 5 minutes. add the mushrooms and thyme, and sauté for 8 minutes or until the mushrooms are cooked.
• 2 reserving the juices in case you need to add a little moisture in step three, drain the onion/garlic/mushroom mixture, and blend it with the cream cheese and fromage frais.
• 3 reserving some slivered almonds for garnish, process the nuts in the food processor then add them to the onion/garlic/mushroom mixture or, if you prefer a finer, smoother paté, add the onion/garlic/mushroom to the food processor and process or, for a more varied texture, process some of the onion/garlic/mushroom mixture with the nuts, then fold both mixtures together until they are well-combined. if the mixture becomes too dry (which is unlikely), add a little of the juice reserved in step two.
• 4 chill the paté for 2 hours, then scatter the reserved slivered almonds on top and serve the paté with crusty bread, pita bread, crackers or vegetable sticks. this paté is best eaten within 2 days.
• 5 chef's note: chestnut mushrooms are a closed cup mushroom with a wonderfully rich flavour. if you cannot find these, use flat field mushrooms which are always great, but may need a little more cooking.