Mushroom Pate

Don’t let this gray matter fool you. This creamy spread has a rich and spicy kick that you will love for both a formal or casual event. My version is a spin-off of a mushroom pate I had years ago at a work function. My colleague had said her mother-in-law taught her how to make it and after bringing it to a few parties it became a regular request.

My preference is to make it extra spicy so my version is heavy on cayenne and black pepper. Feel free to eliminate that heat if your not a big fan. You could even make it smokey instead adding in smoked paprika or cumin instead of the pepper.

Oh, and please feel free to make this a day or two in advance. The flavors combined better. I even had a slice of toast this morning with a little of the left over mushroom pate for breakfast. What a nice combo.

Do you have left over sauteed mushrooms? This is a great recipe to use those up. If you have lots of mushrooms (or expecting lots of guests), just double or triple this recipe.

Only a handful of ingredients. No one needs to know how simple this is.

MUSHROOM PATE

8oz of button mushrooms sliced

1 tbs of olive oil

half a package of 1/3 less cream cheese

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, or less

1/4 tsp powdered garlic, or less

salt and pepper

Start by sauteing the mushrooms in olive oil until slightly brown and excess moisture has cooked off. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Let mushrooms cool completely before proceeding to the next step. You can put them in the refrigerator to quicken the process.

Place the mushrooms in the food processor and chop.

Add in seasonings and mix again. Then add in the cream cheese and process until the mixture is blended into a pate and slightly fluffy. Taste and add in pepper and salt if necessary.

It will look like this.

In this case I just put my pate in a bowl and chilled it in the refrigerator. You can also make a more elegant looking pate by lining a nice shaped bowl with plastic wrap and then packing the pate in it. Chill for a few hours. Then flip over the bowl onto a nice platter, and gently remove the pate from its mold.

Here is a more free form version.