Roast Mushroom Pate
Indulge your tastebuds in the earthy aromas of roasted mushroom and rosemary, combined with garlic and creamy cottage cheese, in this classic French delicacy. Best of all, this Roast Mushroom Pate is super easy to make! Take your party to the next level with this savoury appetiser that packs a punch with flavour and will have everyone asking for the recipe.
Roast Mushroom Pate
Pate was one of my favourite foods during my childhood. This recipe is special because it takes me back to memories of snacking on pate and rice crackers with my mother. When I made this recipe for Christmas last year, it was like going back in time, and my mother and I absolutely devoured it!
Pate is a classic French savoury paste (like a dip but firmer) made from meat or seafood, fats (e.g. butter or cream), vegetables, herbs, spices and often alcohol (e.g. wine or brandy). Pate is made from premium meats such as liver, which gives it a rich flavour but also makes it expensive (AUD$5.10 for 150g). However, there are no mushroom pates at the supermarket! When looking at the cost, this recipe makes about 1 1/2 cups (375g vs 150g), meaning you get much more bang for your buck than store bought.
Recipe suitability
Traditional pate is often very high in fat (particularly saturated fat) and sodium, which, when consumed in excess, are not beneficial to our health. While this recipe is not low fat, it is made with healthy fats from extra virgin olive oil. It is also much lower in fat than some store bought pates (33g vs 10.5g per 100g). However, it is low in cholesterol, and sodium. This recipe has 3.3g of carbohydrates per serve, which makes it diabetes friendly. It is also gluten free, vegetarian and can be made vegan.
What you need for Roast Mushroom Pate
KEY INGREDIENTS
- Swiss brown / cremini mushrooms – Are ideal for slow cooking due to their firm texture and give deep, earthy and umami flavours. Mushrooms are a great source of vitamin B3 (Niacin), which helps our bodies make energy from our food. They also contain selenium, which acts as an antioxidant to help prevent inflammation and cell damage.
- Garlic – Adds a slight zing and garlic flavour. Research hints that garlic may help reduce blood pressure and improve LDL (bad) cholesterol levels.
- Water chestnuts – Gives a nutty and slightly sweet flavour to the pate. Water chestnuts are a great source of potassium, which may help regulate blood pressure. They also contain manganese, which helps with bone formation and is used for many enzyme reactions in our bodies.
- Extra virgin olive oil – A healthy fat that adds to the richness of the pate. Extra virgin olive oil is loaded with monounsaturated fats, which may help reduce LDL (bad) cholesterol. It also contains vitamin E, an essential nutrient that acts as an antioxidant. Research shows that regularly consuming extra virgin olive oil may help protect against heart disease.
- Cottage cheese – Adds to the creamy texture and a little salt. Where possible, choose a low fat and sodium option. Cottage cheese is a great source of protein for growing and maintaining our muscles and calcium for strong bones. It also contains vitamin B12, which our bodies use to make new cells and supports the health of our nerve cells.
OTHER INGREDIENTS
- Rosemary – Gives a peppery and woody flavour. I used fresh rosemary.
- Black pepper;
How to make Roast Mushroom Pate
- Preheat the air fryer to 135°C / 275°F (or 155°C/310°F for a conventional oven), if preheating is required.
- Line a large bowl with foil to create a well. Then, line the foil with a sheet of baking paper. This will be our vessel for slow roasting the ingredients.
- Place the mushrooms, garlic, water chestnuts, rosemary and black pepper into the well. Drizzle in 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil and mix well to coat.
- Gently pull the corners of the foil up and towards the centre of the bowl. Twist the corners together to make a sealed roasting pouch, but take care not to tear the foil. It should look like a teardrop with a very thin, long top (and yes, I know what else it looks like! LOL). If your foil pouch has a hole in the top, just cover it with another piece of foil.
- Place the roasting pouch into the air fryer and cook for 1 hour (or 1 hour and 15 minutes in a conventional oven). Cooking low and slow is the key to all those great umami flavours! Once cooked, remove the pouch from the air fryer with a pair of tongs and put it back into the large bowl. Carefully open the pouch and let the mushroom mix cool slightly (about 10 minutes).
- Add the mushroom mixture to a food processor (as well as any leftover drippings on the baking paper). Add the cottage cheese and remaining 1.5 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, and blitz until smooth. The cottage cheese and extra virgin olive oil are our fat components, which helps to create that luxurious pate texture.
- Spoon the mixture into your serving bowl of choice, cover it with cling wrap, and put it in the fridge for at least 2 hours to set. This is key to getting the firm texture of pate.
- Serve with brown rice crackers or vegetable sticks for an extra hit of dietary fibre. Enjoy!
Storage
This pate should last in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Tips & Substitutes
Swiss brown / cremini mushrooms are ideal for this recipe due to their firmer texture compared to other mushrooms. I do not recommend substituting these as it will likely affect your pate’s texture and volume. To make a vegan version, replace the cottage cheese with silken tofu and nutritional yeast (start with 1 tablespoon and add more to taste).
If you don’t have fresh rosemary, you can substitute it with 1 teaspoon of dried (using the general rule of 1 tablespoon of fresh to 1 teaspoon of dried).
This recipe is also suitable to be made a day in advance, as when you leave it in the fridge overnight, the flavours develop further, creating the ultimate umami heaven!
If you have a nut allergy, replace the water chestnuts with extra mushrooms.
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Ingredients
- 3 1/2 cups swiss brown / cremini mushrooms, cut into 1-2cm pieces (Note 1)
- 6 garlic cloves (Note 2)
- 4 sprigs fresh rosemary, stems removed (Note 3)
- 120 g water chestnuts, drained (Note 4)
- 2 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 tsp cracked black pepper
- 4 tbsp low fat cottage cheese (Note 5)
Instructions
- Preheat air fryer to 135°C/275°F (or 155°C/310°F for a conventional oven), if preheating is required.
- Line a large bowl with foil to create a well. Then, line the foil with a sheet of baking paper.
- Place the mushrooms, garlic, water chestnuts, rosemary and black pepper into the well. Drizzle in 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil and mix well to coat.
- Gently pull the corners of the foil up and towards the centre of the bowl. Twist thecorners together to make a sealed roasting pouch, but take care not to tear thefoil. It should look like a teardrop with a very thin, long top. (Note 6)
- Place the roasting pouch into the air fryer and cook for 1 hour (or 1 hour and 15 minutes in a conventional oven). Once cooked, remove thepouch from the air fryer with a pair of tongs and put it back into the large bowl. Carefully open the pouch and let the mushroom mix cool slightly (about 10 minutes).
- Add the mushroom mixture to a food processor (as well as any leftover drippings on the baking paper). Add the cottage cheese and remaining 1.5 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, and blitz until smooth. (Note 7)
- Spoon the mixture into your serving bowl of choice, cover it with cling wrap, and set it in the fridge for at least 2 hoursto set. This is key to getting the firm texture of pate.
- Serve with brown rice crackers or vegetables ticks. Enjoy!
Notes
- Mushrooms – It is worth noting that swiss brown / cremini mushrooms can vary in their shade of brown, which will impact that colour of the pate. These mushrooms have a firmer texture than other mushrooms, subsituting them may affect the texture and amount of pate made.
- Garlic – This recipe is based on using average sized garlic cloves. Using larger cloves may add a spiciness to the pate.
- Rosemary – If you can’t get fresh, substitute with 1 teaspoon of dried.
- Water chestnuts – If catering for someone who has a nut allergy, substitute for more mushrooms. The pate will still taste good, it just won’t have a nutty flavour.
- Vegan substitute – Substitute the cottage cheese for silken tofu and add 1 tablespoon (adding more to taste if needed).
- Roasting pouch – If you’re foil pouch is not sealing at the top, just cover it with another sheet of foil.
- Blizting – If your mushroom pate is too thick, either add an extra 1/2 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil – this will ad extra fat in the recipe. If you do not want extra fat, just use water.
- Storage – Should last for 3 days in an airtight container in the fridge.
- Nutrition – Calculated per serving assuming a serve of 55g, not including crackers.
