Vegetarian Christmas Recipe: Wild Mushroom Pate

There’s something so special about this wild mushroom pate that makes it particularly festive and fit for a Christmas party. Maybe the richness of all the earthy flavours – or perhaps the simplicity of its presentation. And then there’s a sense of celebration and luxury that I tend to associate with any home made pate. I’ve been cooking this recipe for quite a few years now and it always proves to be very popular especially during the festive season.

A few things you need to keep in mind for this recipe. First: choose a mix of wild mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms and chestnut mushrooms. I would avoid the white closed cup mushrooms, as they can be pretty bland. The chestnut mushrooms have a slightly more earthy flavour and I usually add them to bulk up the mixture. Cooking the mushrooms in a pan is ok, but if you are looking for a deeper flavour, go for roasting. I usually roast the wild and shiitake mushrooms and sauté the chestnut mushrooms in a pan.

It is recommended to prepare the wild mushroom pate at least one day in advance, as it need time to set properly. Two days in advance is even better, as the flavours have more time to develop and intensify. When serving, make sure to take the pate out of the fridge and allow it to reach room temperature.

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Wild Mushroom Pate

Andra Constantinescu

Christmas Dinner, vegetarian

Prep 20 mins

Cook 1 hr 30 mins

Servings: 8

Ingredients

• 200 g mixed wild mushrooms
• 125 g shiitake mushrooms
• 250 g chestnut mushrooms
• 1 shallot
• 250 g salted butter
• 100 ml double cream
• fresh thyme
• Maldon salt
• black pepper
• extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

• Preheat the oven at 180C.
• Clean all the mushrooms and roughly slice the bigger ones.
• Place wild and shiitake mushrooms on a roasting tray, season with salt, pepper, olive oil and fresh thyme. Roast for about 50 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat a knob of butter in a pan, add the finely chopped shallot and allow it to cook for a few minutes until soft.
• Add the chestnut mushrooms, season with salt and cook until soft.
• Transfer all the mushrooms in a food processor and whizz into a smooth paste. Gradually add butter and cream until you get a creamy consistency. Taste and season as you go.
• Heat the rest of the butter in a pan, on a very low heat, just until it begins to clarify and the milk solids remain at the bottom of the pan.
• Transfer the wild mushroom pate into ramekins and add a layer of clarified butter on top. Decorate with thyme leaves and freshly ground black pepper.
• Allow to set in the fridge for at least 6 hours (ideally over night).

For more Christmas recipes & inspiration check out the Lamb Shoulder with all the trimmings and the fabulous Smoked Burrata with Bitter Leaves recipe.

Andra Constantinescu

I am a classically trained chef, with a BSc in Culinary Arts and a Masters Degree in Food Business Management.

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