Mushroom Almond Pâté (update links in middle)

A NEW EDITION TO OUR SUNDAY BOARDS

The second to last recipe in our mushroom series makes so much sense to me. For the leftover mushrooms we weren't able to use and were just chillin in the fridge, we figured it would be the perfect, no-waste solution to cook them down, pulse them nice 'n' good, and turn them into a delicious pâté for one of our cheese boards/grazing platters! It's safe to say we're obsessed with making boards like this...Anyone who knows us well and has been around long enough for us to invite them over for wine and chats, know we've never hosted without a huge wooden board crammed with dips, cheeses, crackers, chips, nuts, fresh and dried fruits, and warm bread, as a center piece to hover over. The thing is, we've never really gone outside of the simple dips and cheeses as far as spreads go, so we thought it would be a nice change of pace to add a pâté to the center of our board this time around. And after we did, we realized that it would be an ongoing tradition.Pâté?: For those of you wondering what pâté is--for awhile I was out of the loop too--it's basically meat--infamous duck liver usually--that's been cooked down with herbs and veggies and maybe a little bit of wine and then ground into a smooth spreadable paste. I know...so appetizing. Well, we're doing something similar here, but with almost 1 lb of unused mushrooms, instead. (P.S. I'm so bummed, because I took a lot of photos of the process, but the files on my SDcard somehow got corrupted in the process. Until I find a way to restore them, I'll only have post-cooked/half-eaten photos of this yum yum pâté.)Check out the other recipes in our Wild Mushroom series so far:

Tip: The pâté tastes even more delicious if it's placed in a container to chill (and-- yes, I'm going to use this unfortunate word--congeal) for a couple of days before spreading it on your crackers and toasted bread. However, you can also eat it warm, because we did that too, and it'll still be bomb. Here's how we made it:

1/4 cup olive oil
1 shallot, minced
1 small yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
5 sprigs of fresh thyme, or 1 TBSP of dried thyme
4 cups, finely chopped mushrooms, tough stems removed
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup vegetable broth
1/2 cup white wine
2 TBSP balsamic vinegar
2 TBSP ponzu, or 1 tbsp soy sauce + 1 tbsp lemon juice (optional)
1/2 cup slivered almonds (optional)

In a large saute pan (big enough to hold the mushrooms), heat the olive oil, and add the minced shallot, diced yellow onion, and cook on medium until slightly translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the minced garlic and sprigs of thyme, and continue to stir and cook until fragrant, about 1-2 more minutes. Add the chopped mushrooms and cook until the mushrooms brown, about 5 more minutes. Season well with salt and pepper to taste.Add the vegetable broth, and cook until all the liquid has evaporated. Once the liquid is gone, remove the stems of the thyme leaves, and then add the white wine, balsamic vinegar, and ponzu or lemon, stirring until all the liquid is absorbed. Stir in the almonds, if using. Transfer the mixture to a food processor, saving a few TBSP for garnish, if you want, and pulse until completely smooth. You can transfer the smooth paste to a container to chill for a few days until ready to use, or you can eat as is. Enjoy!

Chris the cat enjoyed it tremendously...