Pâté is something we eat quite a lot of at home. We often knock up a quick weekend lunch of crusty bread, pâté and a few salady bits. It’s a satisfying lunch and beyond easy to throw together. Over the weekend the boys have been munching on some Wild and Game pâtés, but with a little leftover, I made a simple supper of Pâté stuffed Mushrooms.
We had two tubs of Wild and Game pâté in our fridge; Grouse, Brandy and Herb pâté and Pheasant, Pistachio and Port pâté. All that was needed to enjoy these delicious game pâtés was some crusty bread. The pâtés are just £3.50 for a 120g tub. Game is considered to be a bit of a luxury, so it was nice to bring a bit of luxury to the table for such a reasonable price.
The pâtés were beautifully made. They were mostly smooth with little soft pieces of meat and nuts, the texture was spot on for us. They were really well flavoured and not too gamey, which can be off-putting. These Wild and Game pâtés would make an excellent addition to the Boxing Day table.
The boys enjoyed their weekend lunch of these two pâtés with crusty bread, but there was too much for two and I didn’t want it to go to waste. I’ve made these pâté stuffed mushrooms before, it’s a great way to use up leftover pâté and it makes for a delicious supper, easy lunch or an impressive dinner party starter.
pâté stuffed mushrooms
Ingredients:
4 large flat mushrooms
Pâté – approx one dessert spoon per mushroom
A drizzle of Olive oil
1 onion
2 cloves of garlic
Splash of booze. I usually try to match what’s in the pâté, so add brandy if the pâté has brandy in it.
2 tablespoons of breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon of fresh parsley
How to make your pâté stuffed mushrooms:
Pre-heat your oven to 220°. Take your mushrooms and dust any dirt off them. Carefully cut out the stem and finely chop it. Put a small drizzle of oil on a baking tray and arrange your mushrooms on the tray.
Finely chop an onion, add another drizzle of olive oil to a frying pan and gently soften the onions and the mushroom stems. When the onion is soft, add your crushed garlic cloves and cook through for a couple of minutes. Turn the heat up in your pan and add a splash of booze. I usually try to match what I slosh in with what’s in the pâté. So if your pâté has brandy in it, I’d add a splash of brandy. Cook the alcohol out for a couple of minutes and then take off the heat.
Dollop in your pâté and mix everything together. I used the delicious Pheasant, Pistachio and Port pâté. Spoon equal amounts on the top of each mushroom and sprinkle the breadcrumbs over. Put in your pre-heated oven and bake for 15-20 minutes.
Remove from the oven, sprinkle your fresh parsley over and serve. Two mushrooms make for a good lunch, or if you’re serving it as a dinner party starter, one if probably sufficient. It’s a really great way to use up any leftover pâté and is a simple dinner party dish you can put together beforehand.
