January Recipe #2: Swedish Chanterelle Mushroom Pate

The finished pate, wrapped in the ham shell.

Swedish Chanterelle Mushroom Pate 
       (I am not quite sure if this recipe is actually Swedish or it's just called Swedish by the authors. Regardless of its origin I attempted it.)

• 1 TBSP butter
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 shallots, finely minced
• 1 TBSP butter
• 1 lb fresh chanterelle mushrooms 
• 1/4 C fresh parsley, chopped
• 3/4 lb ground pork
• 2 egg whites
• 1-1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 C cream
• 10 thin slices smoked ham

A very simple ingredient list.

 Directions

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Line a 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 inch loaf pan with aluminum foil.
2. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in the garlic and shallots; cook and stir until the shallot has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Scrape into a mixing bowl, and set aside to cool. Melt the remaining tablespoon of butter in the same skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chanterelles, and cook until the mushrooms are tender and golden around the edges, about 5 minutes. Stir in the parsley, and cook for 30 seconds more, then scrape the mushrooms into the mixing bowl, and allow to cool for 5 minutes.
3. Mix the ground pork, egg whites, salt, and pepper into the mushroom mixture with your hands until evenly blended. Stir in the cream until absorbed by the pork mixture. Line the bottom and sides of the loaf pan with the smoked ham. Pack the meat mixture into the loaf pan and flatten the top.
4. Bake in the preheated oven until the pate is no longer pink in the center, and has reached an internal temperature of 160 degrees F (72 degrees C), about 1 hour. Serve hot or cold in slices.

All the ingredients before the pork and cream are added.

       After having made it and tasted the finished product I don't think it's going to matter where it originates from because it didn't exactly thrill me.

The final mixed pate as I'm loading it into the ham shell.

     It was a very simple recipe to bring together. Simply chop and mix. When I added the cream I was not expecting it to become absorbed, but it did. You can see in the above picture that the mix was not soupy.

2 slices of the final pate.

     It hadn't occurred to me that this would have the same mouth-feel as a traditional meatloaf or a pork heavy meatball. I think it reminds me of both because of the heavy use of parsley. It was a bit more bland than the last meatloaf I made. I chose to eat it with a side of bread, as if I was eating a meatloaf sandwich. I was hoping the addition of a chewy bread would improve it for me, but it did not.
The recipe does say that it can be eaten warm or chilled. I tried it both ways, but chilling it did not improve it for me. 

     I will not be adding this to the TH2. menu. I think compared to the existing recipes the light flavor of the pate will not find many fans. Also, the unusual texture will probably turn a few guests off. A bit too bland and too odd for Thanksgiving 2.7. I have one more Swedish recipe to try out this month. Look for the Swedish Chocolate Balls (not kidding) in the next few days. 

*UPDATE: The leftover pate has been in the fridge for a couple days now and there has been a textural change. It has become more dense and less like a meat loaf. The mushrooms are very springy still and the parsley flavor has intensified.I am just not a fan of that strong of a parsley flavor. The rest of the pate did improve texturally, but not enough for me to consider it for the menu.*