FIELD MUSHROOM AND FARMHOUSE PATE

After doing so many posts on the sweet variety I decided I should add a savory one to the batch. Not only did I make Pate but also had another go at baking some bread, which I have to say I was bloody pleased with! I managed to turn out a lovely crusty Raisin and Hazelnut Loaf to go with the Pate. I made it before for a previous post, but this time I made one large loaf rather than two smaller ones. The recipe was from that DOUGH book by Richard Bertinet, I plan to make another loaf next weekend too! Seem to have got my bread baking addiction back :)

Farmhouse & Field Mushroom Pate Recipe

25g Butter
80g Bacon Lardons (I used smoked, but it via my mum's recipe it says unsmoked)
250g Chicken livers (you can find them in the freezer isle) cut off the stringy bits.
1 Bay leaf
2 Sprigs of thyme
1 shallot - Finely chopped
1 Garlic Clove
1 tbsp Brandy
1 tbsp Creme Fraiche
freshly grated nutmeg
Dollop butter
2 large field mushrooms (around 100g)
seasoning.

 

Pop the butter and oil in a hot frying pan and add the lardons. Fry until crispy and golden, then add the bay leaf and thyme and livers** Important: Do not over cook the livers! You only want to cook them for around 3 minutes, so that they're cooked but still slightly pink in the middle. This will make sure the pate has a lovely smooth texture. Once ready pop the contents onto a plate, put the herbs and bay leaf back into the pan.

Put the shallots and garlic into the pan with the herbs and cook until soft and slightly golden. Add the brandy, and cook until the alcohol has evaporated.

Put all the cooked goodies into a food processor, add the creme fraiche and wizz up! It's up to you how chunky or smooth you like your pate....

Now don't forget the mushrooms!! Get your two lovely dark field mushrooms and chop up finely (again depending how chunky you like it) Put the last dollop of butter in the frying pan, add the mushrooms and cook off add ing a little bit of pepper at the end. Add the mushrooms to the food processor and give it one last wizzzz to mix it all up.

Then pour into a small pot, bowl, terrine and leave to cool before popping into the fridge to completely set.

Voila! 

Your own delicious quick and easy pate. Enjoy!

Let me know how you get on. Once you realise how easy it is to make you'll never buy shop bought stuff again.

Ps: I shall post again soon with another loaf and the recipe for the hazelnut and raisin loaf :)

Hot cross Buns

Ingredients (makes 16 buns)

• 4tsp dried yeast
• 55g caster sugar
• 250ml warm milk (not too hot or it will kill the yeast!)
• 600g plain flour
• 1tsp ground cinnamon
• 60g butter
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 125ml warm water
• 110g currants (I used rasins)
• 40g mixed peel
• 1tbsp apricot jam
• Flour paste:
• 75g plain flour
• 1tbsp caster sugar
• 80ml water

method

1. Combine yeast, sugar and milk in a bowl, whisk until yeast is dissolved. Cover bowl, stand in warm place for 10 minutes or until mixture is frothy. Sift flour and cinnamon into a large bowl, rub in butter. Stir in yeast mixture, egg, water and fruit, cover and stand for 1 hour in a warm place or until mixture has doubled in size.
2. Turn out dough onto floured surface, knead for 5 minutes until smooth and elastic. Divide dough into 16 portions, knead into balls. Place into greased 23cm sq. cake pan, stand in warm place for about 20 minutes until dough has risen to top of tin.
3. For the paste, combine flour and sugar in a bowl, blend in the water, stir until smooth. Using a piping bag and small plain tube, pipe crosses onto buns. Bake in moderately hot oven for 10 minutes, reduce heat to moderate and bake for a further 15 minutes. Whilst they're baking heat 2 tbsp of sugar & 2 tbsp of water into a pan, stir until disolved. Once the buns have finished baking, turn buns onto wire rack, and brush with the sugar water to give them that shiny / sticky appearance!

Give it a go! If you start them in the morning, after brekkie you can get on with other jobs whilst the mixture rises. It doesn't matter if you leave it a bit longer than stated. Then it'll be the afternoon before you know it! Enjoying a lovely cuppa tea and a jam coated 'hot cross bun' 

First time I've ever had apricot jam & it works really well. Very tasty!!

Pete's Chocolate chewy morsels

These are quite simular to the chocolate fingers on a previous post I did, but these are very different and are Pete's fav. He says it's cause they are more chewy :)

So again dead easy to make...

Recipe:
200g Digestive biscuits
100g Butter
3 tbsp Golden Syrup
2 tbsp cocoa powder
50g raisins
100g dark choc

1. Butter a tin (can be whatever you have about - cake tin, bread tin ) an 18cm sandwich tin is good. I used a bread tin to help with the square edges.
2. Now the best bit, all that pent up anger - take it out on those biscuits. Put them in a bag first & bash into uneven crumbs.
3. Melt the butter and syrup in a pan. Stir in the cocoa and raisins and then the biscuit crumbs. Spoon into the tin and press firmly.
4. Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over simmering water and then spread over the biscuit base.
   
5. Chill for at least half and hour. Cut up and serve!

Chocolate Brandy Fingers

These chocolate brandied currant fingers, really give you that cocoa choc hit!
And are also really easy to make:

75g currants
60ml Brandy
250g plain choc biscuit digestives
85g unsalted butter
330g dark choc chopped
190ml pouring cream

Place the currants and brandy in a small saucepan over a low heat and cook until the brandy is absorbed. Set aside to cool.

Place the biscuits and butter in a food processor and process until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Press mixture into a 10cm x 35cm loose bottom tin.

Put the choc and cream in a saucepan over a low heat and stir until the choc has melted and smooth. Add the currents, pour over the base and refidgerate for 2 hours until firm...

can serve as a pud with cream and rasberries......

Raisin me loaf!

So using my freebe stash of yeast from St John's, I jumped back into the kitchen to have a go at another loaf. I fancied trying something a bit different, so decided to do a 'Raisin, Hazelnut & shallot loaf.

Here is how I got on...

First fried off the shallots before adding my crushed hazelnuts and the raisins....


And then started working the dough. I'm currently having to do this on the kitchen table, as it works better being glass than a wooden surface - thus my back kills, let alone my arms...
You can see the shallot mixture in the backround which was added to the dough before leaving it to rise.

Throw, fold and trap in that air, Raaaa!!

Just before it goes in to be baked..
And the finished result - following as directed I baked them for 30mins, but think it may have needed 5 mins less. All the same it's lush!



Great with a bit of home-made pate, chutney & Pete's pickled onions :D