One Perfect Bite: pate

Showing posts with label pate. Show all posts

Thursday, January 1, 2015

New Year and Rose Bowl Special - Smoked Salmon Pate

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I slept later than is my habit this morning. Most of you are unaware that I am the reason the birds greet the sun every morning. I disturb their sleep, quite unintentionally mind you, as I ready myself and the coffee that will fuel the coming day. This morning was rough. We, the birds and I, awoke to a layer of hoar frost on any surface that had been exposed to the elements last night. We, now said only in the royal sense, despite the cold, had neighbors who needed airport transit to catch for the first flight to San Francisco. Our local team, known here as the Mighty Ducks, made it to the Rose Bowl and our town has come unwrapped. Those who can afford it, have traveled to the game, while those without wings frequent sport's bars or glue themselves to the largest television screen in the neighborhood. I can now identify the units in our development that have large screen TV's. At a mere 34 inches, we are pikers, but that also means I don't have to entertain today, and can get on with the critical chore of the day - shrink wrapping our indoor Christmas tree. The shrink wrap thing will be a story for another day, 'cause today is about football. I haven't divorced myself from the game mind you, but I have quite happily sent the Silver Fox down the lane, armed with tuna and smoked salmon pate, to bond with his new compadres, who insist they are not chip and dip people. Both these pates make great game day snacks, even for chip and dip people, and while I'll eventually share both of them with you, I wanted to start with the salmon pate because it is effortless to make. Here is how it's made.

Woo-Hoo - They Won!

50 Women Game-Changers in Food - #8 Judith Jones - Frenchified Meat Loaf

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I love tales told by those who are the power behind the throne. Those stories are especially delicious when they are told by people who have compelling stories of their own to tell. Judith Jones, the book editor who brought the likes of Julia Child, Marcella Hazan, and Madhur Jaffrey to print, is such a woman. Her work with these and other authors has changed the way we write and think about the food we eat. Her publishing career career began at Doubleday where she saved The Diary of Anne Frank from the rejection list. She later moved to Knopf where she saved Mastering the Art of French Cooking from a similar fate. Her stellar culinary roster was matched by literary clients who included John Updike, Anne Tyler and John Hersey. She has also written a number of her own cookbooks and a charming memoir, The Tenth Muse: My Life in Food. She believes that recipe writing should engage the senses and enable readers to use their own judgment. Her own recipes do just that. It's entirely fitting that she claim 8th place on the Gourmet Live list of 50 Women Game-Changers in Food.

I have chosen the simplest of recipes to represent her work. She calls it a Frenchified meat loaf. Having just made and served this for our supper, I can tell you it bears no resemblance to the meat loaf of childhood memory - unless of course you're French. This is a lovely entree whose flavors carry with them the scents and tastes of Provence. It's a dense loaf with a texture that is far more like a pate than a meat loaf. It will make wonderful cold sandwiches for tomorrow's lunch. I really think you'll like it. Here's the recipe as it was written by Judith Jones.

Frenchified Meat Loaf...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Judith Jones

Ingredients:
3 slices homemade-type white bread, crusts removed
3 pounds ground beef, veal, and pork (about 1/2 beef portion and 1/2 each of veal and pork)
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 large egg
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons salt
2 fat garlic cloves, peeled, chopped, and mashed with 1/2 teaspoon salt (see below)
Several grindings of black pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 to 3 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs (basil, tarragon, marjoram), or 1 teaspoon herbes de Provence
2 bay leaves
2 strips bacon
1/2 cup red wine

Instructions:
1) Spin the bread in a blender to make crumbs; you should have 1-1/2 cups. Dump everything except the bay leaves, bacon, and wine into a big bowl, and blend well, preferably with your hands.
2) Arrange the bay leaves on the bottom of a large loaf pan, and pack the meat mixture in. Place the strips of bacon on top, then pour the wine over, punching a few holes into the meat with your fingers so it will seep down a little. Let marinate for an hour or so, then bake in a preheated 325-degree oven for 1-1/2 hours. Turn out of the pan, and remove the bay leaves. And pour any pan juices on top. Serve hot. Yield: 6 servings.

Note: If veal is too expensive or hard to get, use about 3/4 beef to 1/4 pork, ground. If you prefer, slice the peeled garlic instead and press into the top of the meatloaf, then remove the slices before you turn the meatloaf out.

The following bloggers are also paying tribute to Judith Jones this week. I hope you'll visit all of them.

Val - More Than Burnt Toast
Joanne - Eats Well With Others
Taryn - Have Kitchen Will Feed
Susan - The Spice Garden
Claudia - A Seasonal Cook in Turkey
Heather - girlichef
Miranda - Mangoes and Chutney
Jeanette - Healthy Living
April - Abby Sweets
Katie - Making Michael Pollan Proud
Mary - One Perfect Bite
Kathleen -Bake Away with Me
Viola - The Life is Good Kitchen
Sue - The View from Great Island

Next week we will highlight the food and recipes of Irma Rombauer. If you'd like to join us please email me for additional information. Everyone is welcome.

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Two Mushroom Pates - Choose Sherried or Creamy

Sherried Mushroom Pate

Creamy Mushroom Pate

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite... I have two more recipes that I want to include among the dips and spreads we are collecting here at One Perfect Bite. While both are for a mushroom pate, they are quite different from each other in terms of taste and texture. One is almost perfectly smooth and figure friendly, the other is a bit chunky and caloric. Both are easy to prepare and can be used as a dip, spread or stuffing. Like all recipes of this type, the pate is wonderful for entertaining because it can be made a day or two before serving. While they are best made with a combination of dry and wild mushrooms, they can also be prepared with the plain ol' button or cremini variety. Unfortunately, these mushroom pates don't have a great deal of eye appeal and you'll have to be creative when you plate them. I know that those of you who are fans of mushrooms will enjoy both these recipes. We'll make it up to those of you who aren't in other posts. Here are the recipes for the two mushroom pates.

Sherried Mushroom Pate...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite adapted from Vegan Cooking

Ingredients:
1-1/2 cups finely chopped mild white (sweet) onion
6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 cups assorted finely chopped wild mushrooms
1/4 teaspoon dry thyme
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided use
1 cup toasted almonds, finely ground
2 tablespoons sherry wine vinegar
Salt and pepper

Directions:
1) Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet. When oil shimmers, add onions and cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in mushrooms and thyme and cook until mushrrom liquid is evaporated. Set aside.
2) Mix ground almonds with reserved 2 tablespoons olive oil in a separate bowl.
3) Combine mushrooms and almonds in the bowl of a food processor. Mix until smooth. Pulse in sherry wine vinegar. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cover and chill. Serve with crackers, sliced baguette, or vegetables. Yield: 1-3/4 cups.

Creamy Mushroom Pate...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Carol Gelles

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup minced shallots
2 cups finely chopped wild mushrooms
1/2 cup finely chopped Italian parsley
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1 (8-oz.) package cream cheese, cut in 8 pieces
3 tablespoons heavy cream
Salt and pepper

Directions:
1) Melt butter in a medium skillet over medium-high heat.
2) Add shallots; cook, stirring, until softened, about 1 minute. Add mushrooms; cook, stirring until softened, about 5 minutes. Continue cooking until any mushroom liquid has evaporated. Stir in parsley and thyme; cook, stirring, 30 seconds.
3) Remove from heat. Stir in cream cheese, a piece at a time, until melted and combined. Stir in heavy cream. Chill. Serve with crackers or in small tart shells. Yield: 1-1/2 cups.