sherry-infused pate

On Friday night, Taylor and her boyfriend graciously hosted a potluck gathering for Philly food bloggers. I brought my Sherry-Infused Pate [Recipe below].

A whole slew of bloggers showed up. Who knew there were so many in just one city? What a wonderful bunch of people and a diverse range of food. Even though most were omnivores, I was surprised and delighted to sample so much transcending vegan fare. Special kudos to Messy and Picky for their amazing chipotle-pepper spread.


SHERRY-INFUSED PATE
Strangely, this is a dip that meat-eaters tend to love—probably because it’s rich, creamy and, because of its color, looks "meaty." [Ew.] When you’re eating it, you can almost hear Edith Piaf singing "La Vie en Rose." But it’s influence is definitely Spanish: a blast of Amantillado sherry sweetens and deepens the flavor—giving it that mysterious “je ne sais quoi”...or should I say "No sé lo que?"

1 lb. cremini mushrooms, sliced
4 cloves garlic, sliced
4T plus 2 T extra virgin olive oil
1 cup toasted chopped pecans
½ cup Amantillado sherry [You can use other sherry, but Amantillado is the only sherry I’ll cook with—well worth the price]
Salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste


Heat a dry skillet to medium high. Toast the pecans, tossing constantly, until golden and fragrant. Remove from heat and remove pecans from pan so they don’t continue to cook. Drop them into the food processor and whir them into a fine flour.

In a large pan, heat 4 T of the olive oil over medium-low. Saute the garlic until it begins to soften [Be careful not to brown!] and then add the mushrooms, stirring and sautéing until they darken and are very soft. Once this happens, turn the heat up to high and toss in the sherry. Deglaze the pan. Once the alcohol evaporates, continue cooking on medium until the pan is absolutely devoid of liquid. At this point, carefully transfer the mushroom mixture to the food processor with the sherry, Process until smooth, adding the additional 2 T of olive oil [more or less] as needed.

Salt and pepper to taste. Serve with French bread, crackers, vegetables, or crisp bread.