Mushroom and Goat Cheese Pâté

I didn’t always like mushrooms, especially when I was a kid. But things change in adulthood and one of them for me was falling in love with mushrooms.

Several years ago I was searching for appetizers to make for a dinner and we had extra mushrooms hanging around. There weren’t really enough for them to stand on their own, so I sautéed them and threw them in the food processor; I figured I’d smear them on crostini. Over the years I added shallots and goat cheese to the mix and it has become one of my favorite easy appetizers.

This may not be the prettiest dish in the world, but what it lacks in beauty it more than makes up for in flavor. Plus you can make it a little fancier by putting sautéed slices of mushrooms or whole beech mushrooms on top along with a sprinkle of chopped parsley or sprigs of thyme.

This is one of those recipes where the exact type of mushrooms and measurements don’t really matter.  You can use almost any variety of mushroom, although a mix will provide more interesting flavors. And the amounts of mushrooms and goat cheese do not need to be exact…use what you’ve got. You can assemble the mushroom and goat cheese pâté on toasts for more formal eating, or have a plate of crostini with a bowl of pâté ready for people to smear on themselves for a less formal occasion.

Mushroom and Goat Cheese Pâté

Makes about 1½ cups, about 45 minutes

1 lb. mushrooms (mix of white button, shitake, oyster, cremini, or other)

1 package (150 g) beech mushrooms for garnish (optional)

5 Tbsp. olive oil, divided

2 large shallots, roughly chopped

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1/2 tsp. fresh ground pepper

4 oz. goat cheese (chèvre)

1 baguette or similar bread, sliced into ¼-inch rounds

Chopped fresh parsley or thyme sprigs for garnish (optional)

1. Clean all mushrooms. If you are going to use some sautéed mushrooms as a garnish, cut a handful of the largest white button or cremini in ¼-inch thick slices and trim beech mushrooms and set aside. Roughly chop remaining mushrooms.
2. Heat 2 Tbsp. olive oil on medium in a large skillet. Add all mushrooms, except those reserved for garnish. After a few minutes add shallots, salt, and pepper to the skillet and sauté, stirring occasionally, until well-browned, about 15 minutes. Set aside to cool.
3. While mushrooms are cooling, make crostini by heating oven to 350 ^oF. Slice bread and place on a sheet pan. Toast bread until just starting to brown on top, about 5 minutes. Flip bread and brush with 2 tablespoons olive oil, return to the oven for a few more minutes, until just starting to brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
4. Crumble goat cheese into a food processor fitted with metal blade and add cooked mushroom and shallot mixture. Pulse mixture until evenly puréed, scraping down sides as needed. Put pâté in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and put in the refrigerator until ready to use. Pâté can be made one day ahead.
5. Add remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil to the skillet and heat on medium. Add the reserved sliced white button or cremini mushrooms for garnish, along with the beech mushrooms, if using. Sauté on medium, flipping carefully so as not to break them, until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Allow to cool.
6. Remove mushroom pâté from refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature for about a ½ hour before eating. If assembling, spread pâté on crostini and top with sautéed sliced white button, cremini, and beech mushrooms and garnish with parsley or thyme sprigs.

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