Our hostesses this month, Evelyne of Cheap Ethnic Eatz, and Valerie of a The Chocolate Bunny, chose delicious pate with freshly baked bread as their June Daring Cook’s challenge! They’ve provided us with 4 different pate recipes to choose from and are allowing us to go wild with our homemade bread choice.
This month we were presented with the challenge of putting together a pate and some homemade bread to go along with it. I’ll be completely honest here and say that I am not a huge fan of pate. However, that being said, I’m not one to back down from a challenge and this was no exception. I knew animal organs wouldn’t go over well in this house and I hated the prospect of being responsible for eating the entire pate, so instead I took an alternate route and made up a smoked salmon pate and a tri-colored vegetarian pate. For the bread I attempted French baguettes using my sourdough starter.
I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. The salmon pate was the biggest hit. All three of my kids ate it and enjoyed it. I thought the vegetarian pate was nice, but the boys in the family were more into the meat so we had a lot of that one left over. I did eat some the next day spread on a sandwich with cheese and spinach and that was quite tasty. Finally, the bread. I have never attempted to make a baguette before, let alone with sourdough starter, so I kept my expectations low. I needn’t have worried though, it turned out delicious! I felt like the color was a touch off on the bread, at least compared to professional baguettes I’ve eaten in the past, but the taste was right on. It was crunchy on the outside and light and airy in the middle.
All in all, this was a great challenge! Thanks so much to Evelyne and Valerie for offering it up. Ok, let’s see how it’s done.
First up, the tri-colored vegetarian pate. Here’s what you’ll need to whip a log of this up:
FOR THE BEAN LAYER:
2 15 Oz cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained thoroughly
(I used garbanzo)
1 Tbsp of Fresh Lemon Juice
1 Tbsp of Olive Oil
1 Tbsp of Minced Fresh Oregano or 1 tsp Dried
2 Garlic Cloves, Minced
1 Tbsp of Fresh Lemon Juice
1 Tbsp of Olive Oil
1 Tbsp of Minced Fresh Oregano or 1 tsp Dried
2 Garlic Cloves, Minced
FOR THE RED PEPPER LAYER:
7 Oz Jar Roasted Red Bell Peppers, Drained and Chopped
3/4 Cup Crumbled Feta Cheese (About 4 Ounces)
3/4 Cup Crumbled Feta Cheese (About 4 Ounces)
FOR THE PESTO LAYER:
2 Garlic Cloves, Minced
1 Cup fresh basil leaves
1 Cup Fresh Italian Parsley Leaves
1/4 Cup Toasted Pine Nuts
3 Tbsp Olive Oil
1/2 Cup Low-Fat Ricotta Cheese
The first thing you’ll want to do is line your pan with plastic wrap, overlapping the sides. This will allow you to get the pate out of your pan easily. Next you’ll want to rinse and drain your beans and then mash them in a large bowl. Here are my beans ready to be mashed.
And here they are in the stages of being mashed. I actually used a potato masher to get them started because my old, run down food processor was having a difficult time (hint, hint santa claus!).
To your mashed beans, add in the lemon juice, olive oil, oregano and garlic and blend until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. When you have the flavor the way you like it, go ahead and spread your bean mixture evenly onto the bottom of your prepared pan.
Next you’ll prepare the roasted red pepper layer. Place your peppers and feta into your food processor. Blend until smooth and then add to the top of your bean layer.
I want to make one note about this. The red pepper layer was a bit wet for me and didn’t firm up as well as I would have liked. I would recommend not only rinsing and draining your peppers, but also drying them off a bit to get rid of any extra moisture that might hinder your pepper layer from firming up. If you really have the time to devote, I think this layer would be the best if you roasted up your own peppers. See my earlier Daring Cooks challenge for instructions on how to roast peppers.
Finally, you’ll put together your pesto layer. Throw your garlic in your food processor and mince it up. Add to it your basil, parsley and pine nuts. Mince it up again.
Now, with your processor running, gradually add your oil through the feed tube and process the mixture until smooth. Mix in the ricotta by hand. Once your pesto is complete, spread it evenly over the red pepper layer.
Cover the pate with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. When you’re ready to unmold and serve your pate, simply invert it onto your serving platter and peel off the plastic wrap.
And here’s the finished product. It definitely has the potential to be a pretty dish although I think I might need to work on my presentation a bit more.
Alright, moving on to the salmon pate. Here’s what you’ll need to make a block of this dish:
FRESH AND SMOKED SALMON PATE
Taken from Seafood-Norway
1/4 Cup of Heavy Cream
1/4 Cup of Sour Cream
3 Cups of Cold Water
1 Peeled and Sliced Thin Carrot
1 Thin Sliced Small Onion
1 Bay Leaf
3 Thin Lemon Slices
1 Fresh Red Chili Pepper
1 Lb Fresh Salmon Fillets w/Skin
4 Shallots, Chopped Fine
1 1/2 Tbsp + 1/2 Cup (1 stick)Unsalted Butter at Room Temperature
8 Oz Smoked Salmon, Diced
2 Tbsp Lemon Juice
1 1/2 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp White Pepper
1 Tbsp Fresh Dill, Chopped Fine
1/4 Cup of Sour Cream
3 Cups of Cold Water
1 Peeled and Sliced Thin Carrot
1 Thin Sliced Small Onion
1 Bay Leaf
3 Thin Lemon Slices
1 Fresh Red Chili Pepper
1 Lb Fresh Salmon Fillets w/Skin
4 Shallots, Chopped Fine
1 1/2 Tbsp + 1/2 Cup (1 stick)Unsalted Butter at Room Temperature
8 Oz Smoked Salmon, Diced
2 Tbsp Lemon Juice
1 1/2 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp White Pepper
1 Tbsp Fresh Dill, Chopped Fine
First up, you’ll want to whisk together your heavy cream and sour cream in a small bowl and then refrigerate it.
Next, you’ll combine the cold water, carrot, onion, bay leaf, lemon slices and chili pepper in skillet large enough to hold the salmon fillets in one
layer. I didn’t have a chili pepper on hand so I used crushed red pepper instead.
Bring your water to boiling; continue to boil it for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, lower the temperature to simmer. Add your salmon to the pan, skin side up. Simmer very gently over medium low heat until salmon is just cooked, about 10 minutes. Do not overcook.
When the salmon is finished, remove it from the poaching liquid; remove and discard skin. Set it aside and allow it to cool completely. Meanwhile, saute your shallots in the 1 1/2 tablespoon butter in small skillet over medium heat, stirring, until golden, about 5 minutes. Let me just note that I didn’t have enough shallots for the recipe so I used a combination of shallots and green onions. Here are mine sauteing up:
Once your onions are cooked up, you’ll transfer them to your food processor along with the salmon, smoked salmon and the cream mixture in your fridge. Puree the whole shebang until it’s good and smooth.
Now, with your processor running, add in the remaining 1/2 cup butter, bit by bit, until smooth.
Following the butter, add in the lemon juice, salt and pepper.
Blend it together again. Finally,fold in the fresh dill. Spoon your mixture into your prepared pan (plastic wrap lined as noted above with veggie pate). Smooth the top with a rubber spatula. Cover and refrigerate it for at least four hours to set. When you’re ready to serve, invert it onto your serving dish and garnish with a few fresh dill sprigs. And here’s my final product:
Ok, are you still with me? One more step to go. Let’s make the the french baguettes so we have something to serve this pate up with! There was no way I was going to go this alone, so I tracked down a baguette recipe off the King Arthur Flour website. Here’s what you’ll need to make up a handful of fresh French baguettes:
French Baguettes
Adapted from King Arthur Flour’s Recipe Website
1 Cup of Starter
1 tsp of Yeast
1 Cup Lukewarm Water
3 1/2 Cups Unbleached All-Purpose Flour or Unbleached Bread Flour*
1 1/2 tsp of Salt
1 tsp of Yeast
1 Cup Lukewarm Water
3 1/2 Cups Unbleached All-Purpose Flour or Unbleached Bread Flour*
1 1/2 tsp of Salt
*If you choose to use bread flour, increase the water to 1 cup + 2 tablespoons (9 ounces).
Pull your starter out of the fridge the night before, feed it and let it sit overnight to wake back up.
Note: If you don’t have your own starter premade and still want to attempt this bread, check out the directions for making an overnight starter with yeast on King Arthur Flour’s link listed above.
Combine your starter, yeast, water, flour, and salt. Mix them together and then knead until you’ve made a soft, somewhat smooth dough; it should be cohesive, but the surface should still be a bit rough.
Allow your dough to rise, covered with a lightly greased plastic wrap, for 3 hours, gently deflating it and turning it over after 1 hour, and then again after 2 hours. Because I used starter, it took about an hour longer for me to achieve the same results. Here’s my dough looking beautiful and inflated:
Turn the dough out onto a lightly greased or floured work surface. Divide the dough into three pieces. Shape each piece into a rough, slightly flattened oval, cover with greased plastic wrap, and let rest for 15 minutes. Here is my first piece flattened into an oval shape, ready for bread making.
Working with one piece of dough at a time, fold the dough in half lengthwise, and seal the edges with the heel or edge of your hand. Flatten it slightly, and fold and seal again. With the seam-side down, cup your fingers and gently roll the dough into a 15″ log . Place them directly onto your bread pan; either greased or lined with parchment paper.
Cover the dough and allow them to rise until they become quite puffy, but haven’t doubled in size. King Arthur’s site says this will take 60 to 90 minutes, but with my starter, it took more like 2 hours for me.
Once your baguettes have risen, preheat your oven to 450°F. Spritz the baguettes heavily with warm water; this will help them develop a crackly-crisp crust. Using a very sharp knife held at about a 45° angle, make three 8” vertical slashes in each baguette. Place the baguettes in the oven. I also through a pan of water in the oven with the bread to help with the moist environment.
Here are my baguettes getting ready to go in the oven:
Bake the baguettes for about 25 minutes, until they’re a deep, golden brown. Remove them from the oven and cool on a rack. Or, for the very crispiest baguettes, turn off the oven, crack it open about 2 inches, and allow the baguettes to cool in the oven. Here are my baguettes straight out of the oven:
Whew! We made it through! It was a long day of cooking, and I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to sit back, grab some crackers, slice some warm fresh bread, pull the pates out of the fridge and crack a bottle of wine. Are you with me?
Let’s get this Pate started!
YUMMMMMM!!!! You're so ambitious! I must pull this out for my next dinner party… Merci!
Everything looks so yummy. You really did a fantastic job here and I do so love the step by step photos.
What a fabulous posting your pâtés and bread is superb they look so wonderful – exquisite results. I really like the step-by-step photographs also. Cheers from Audax in Sydney Australia.
Great pâtés and gorgeous baguettes! Fantastic job on this month's DC challenge!
Wow everything looks great!! Beautiful color of the smoked salmon pate 🙂
Holy crap your baguettes look awesome. I love pate. I do. I've never made my own though.
I want to play along with this game???? How do I get involved???
I'm making some tequila lime chicken today (I'm combining our recipes to do it, I like how you used a whole chicken and roasted it.) and your cheesy rice. Can't wait!
Lots of yummy love,
Alex aka Ma, What's For Dinner
http://www.mawhats4dinner.com
Alex, head over to http://www.thedaringkitchen.com and join in! It's a ton of fun and I guarantee you'll learn something every month you participate.
Your rising dough looks so beautifully airy. I love the feel of bread dough. It's a thing of magic. Great job!
Your pates look good to me! And the baguette looks really delicious! It must have smelled nice! Yum!
Lovely job on the challenge! I think I'll have to try the smoked salmon version next time. Thanks for stopping by my blog!
Julie,
What a great post. Your step by step photos are so helpful, and I just loved that vegetarian pate. I can't wait to give it a try. Thank you for sharing. Beautiful work!
I would just like to state that we would be great friends in real life!!! I love everything you make. Food is important to me. 🙂
I've got something for you.
http://therealpoopsie.blogspot.com/2010/06/not-me-monday.html
Would you believe me if I told you I've never had pate before? It looks amazing though! My mouth is watering!
I love how you make everything sound so EASY!! The pics are a great help, too!
Everything looks so delicious! I definitely agree with you that it would be best to roast your own peppers for the roasted pepper layer.
Beautiful post! I really loved looking at your photos – everything's so colourful and vibrant. Both your pâtés look absolutely delicious, as does the bread. That's what I wanted my bread to look like!
Aha, "let's get this pate started" made me laugh! I do love a good pun. 😀
This is awesome! Your pate looks amazing and sounds just perfect over the homemade freshly baked baguette slices!
Great job! Your pates look beautiful, and your baguette is stunning!!
I don't think I've ever had pate, but I can't think of the word without "liver" in front of it. Not especially appetizing. As usual, your recipes look beautiful and tasty!
Your pates look delish and I am so jealous of your bread!
Donna
Wow, that was some undertaking. I'm impressed. Looks like everything turned out great and your baguettes look amazing. Great job.
Great process photos! You did a great job on this challenge, and I'm glad the family liked it!