Starter Original, European-inspired
Mushroom pâté with black garlic and sour cherry
Vegetarian
Editorially prepared
Four crisp tartines with deeply savoury mushroom pâté, a little black garlic and a sour cherry topping. Make the spread the day before, then toast and top the bread just before serving.
Plan this meal
Set your servings and add the meal. Open your plan to choose more meals and find your combined shopping list.
COOK YOUR WAY
Take this recipe to the kitchen
Start a session to tick off ingredients and steps and use timers.
Ingredients
4 servings · metric units
One serving is one small tartine. For a larger quantity, use a wider frying pan and a suitably sized food processor. Mushroom cooking and reduction times depend on the amount of liquid and the surface area of the pan rather than increasing directly with the number of servings.
Substitutions
Substitute amounts are adjusted to your selected servings.
- Instead of fresh sour cherriesstoned sour cherries preserved in their own juice, without added sugar
Out of season, use these instead of fresh sour cherries, weighing the same amount after draining. Dry thoroughly and chop. They are softer than fresh fruit; avoid cherries in thick syrup, which would turn the tart accent into a sweet one.
Shopping for this recipe
Your list uses the selected servings and fridge. Stock quantities are unknown — check you have enough.
Optional ingredients and substitutions
You’ll need
Kitchen scales, knife and chopping board · Frying pan approximately 22 cm across · Fine sieve and small saucepan · Mini food processor suitable for small quantities and warm ingredients · Shallow container with a lid · Oven, baking tray and cooling rack · Spatula, spoon and serving platter
Method
0/10 stepsPrepare the pâté ingredients
The day before serving, clean the mushrooms and chop them very finely. Peel and finely chop the onion and ordinary garlic, keeping them separate. Peel the black garlic. Wash, dry and finely chop the parsley. Measure the remaining pâté ingredients.
Prepare the pâté ingredients Soften the onion
Melt 18 g of butter in the frying pan over a medium-low heat without browning it; allow about 2 minutes. Add the onion and cook for 8–10 minutes from adding it, stirring frequently, until soft and translucent. If it is still firm, continue over a low heat. Add the ordinary garlic and stir for about a minute, until fragrant but not browned.
Soften the onion Cook the mushrooms
Add the mushrooms, pour in 18 ml of white wine and season lightly with salt. Stir over a medium heat for about 3 minutes, until the mushrooms start releasing their moisture and the liquid bubbles. Lower the heat and cook uncovered for about 15 minutes from this point, stirring occasionally. The mushrooms should shrink noticeably and become soft, with no springy, raw pieces. If still firm, continue cooking and check every few minutes. Do not deliberately cook the liquid away completely.
15:00Cook the mushrooms Reduce the liquid
Set the sieve over the small saucepan and tip in the contents of the frying pan. Leave the mushrooms and onion in the sieve. Heat the collected liquid over a medium-low heat for about 5–10 minutes from placing the saucepan on the hob. Stir and watch closely, especially towards the end. Stop when the liquid is glossy, slightly syrupy and begins to coat a spoon. If still watery, continue reducing over a low heat. A very small amount of liquid may take less time; do not scorch the residue.
Reduce the liquid Process and season
Put the mushrooms, onion and all the reduced liquid into the mini food processor. Add the black garlic, parsley, thyme, nutmeg and pepper. Process in short pulses, scraping down the sides, until evenly combined with very fine mushroom particles. The spread should hold a spoon mark without releasing liquid. Taste and adjust the salt. Transfer to a shallow container and spread into a thin, even layer.
Process and season Cool briefly
Leave the pâté in its shallow container to cool briefly for about 20 minutes from transferring it. Once it is no longer visibly steaming, move on to refrigeration; do not wait for it to become completely cold. If still hot, briefly stand the container in cold water without allowing water inside. Refrigerate the pâté within 2 hours of finishing cooking.
20:00Cool briefly Chill overnight
Cover the container and refrigerate at 4°C or below overnight, allowing about 12 hours from putting it in the fridge. The next day, the pâté should be cold throughout, firm but spreadable, with no watery layer. If the centre is not yet cold, continue chilling before assembling the tartines.
Chill overnight Toast the bread
Before serving, preheat the oven to 180°C conventional. While it heats, prepare the thin bread slices and arrange them in a single layer on a dry baking tray. Put them into the preheated oven and toast for about 8 minutes from insertion, turning halfway through. The slices should have golden edges and dry surfaces. If still pale and soft, continue in one-minute intervals, checking that they do not burn.
08:00Toast the bread Cool the toast and prepare the cherries
Transfer the toast to a rack and cool for about 5 minutes from transferring, until no longer warm and crisp. Meanwhile, wash and stone the cherries, weigh the required flesh and cut into small pieces. Blot dry with kitchen paper. Before assembly, check that the toast has cooled; warm toast will soften the pâté. If still warm, leave it on the rack a little longer.
05:00Cool the toast and prepare the cherries Assemble and serve
Stir the chilled pâté with a spoon and divide it between the toast slices, leaving the edges of the bread visible. Top each with a small portion of the cherry pieces blotted dry with kitchen paper. Arrange the tartines on a shared platter and serve immediately, before the bread softens.
Assemble and serve
My note for next time
Saved automatically in this browser. This note is not sent to the editors. 0/2000
Tips
- Do not add cream or water when processing. If the blade struggles with the small quantity, stop the machine, scrape down the sides and use short pulses.
- Stop reducing when the liquid is glossy and slightly sticky, before only fat remains in the pan. An over-reduced liquid can scorch easily.
- Dry the cherries thoroughly. Their juice should remain a small accent on the pâté rather than soak into the bread.
- If the pâté is very firm after its overnight chill, work it with a spoon when assembling the tartines.
Storage
Keep the pâté covered in the fridge at 4°C or below and use within 48 hours of preparation, including the overnight chill. Refrigerate within 2 hours of finishing cooking. Keep the bread and cherries separate; assemble the tartines just before serving. The pâté alone can be frozen after cooking and prompt cooling. Defrost in the fridge and use within 24 hours; stir after defrosting.
Timing
Hands-on: 57 min · Cooking: 45 min · Resting: 12 hr 25 min
The total allows for tasks done in parallel. The individual times can overlap.
