Chuestnut and mushroom pate with whiskey caramel glaze

We absolutely adore this velvety chestnut and mushroom pate for the festive season. It is great served on tartlets or bread as a starter. We made it extra indulgent by adding a rich, smoky whisky-caramel on top. It's great as a Christmas present too! You can also use leftovers to make ravioli, which we did, served with a whiskey butter sauce!

Chestnut and mushroom pate with whiskey caramel glaze

Ingredients

For the pate

2 Tbsp unsalted butter

1 large onion, diced

600g mushrooms, diced

a small pinch of nutmeg

300g cooked and peeled chestnuts (sold in vacuum packs)

1 tsp whole grain mustard

1/2 tsp honey

2 bay leaves

Salt and pepper, to taste

For the glaze (this is more than enough for the recipe, but any less than this will be difficult to handle unless you have a really really small pan. Use the leftovers to make candied chestnuts, pecans, walnuts etc!)

2 tbsp water

100g light brown sugar

15ml whiskey (preferably a smokey one)

Small pinch of coarse sea salt

Direction

1. To make the pate, heat 2 tbsp of butter in a large frying pan. Once melted, add diced onion. Cook for 2 - 3 minutes until fragrant, then add diced mushrooms. Cook for 2 - 3 minutes or then add nutmeg and bay leaves. Cook for a further 5 - 10 minutes until the mushrooms are cooked and reduced, and the juices also slightly reduced. Add chestnuts. Cook until chestnuts are soft, about 5 minutes, then add mustard and honey. Season with salt and pepper, cook for a further 5 - 10 minutes until juice is reduced. Set aside to let cool completely.

2. Remove the bay leaves from the mixture, and blend in a food processor until smooth. Season with more salt and pepper, if needed. Let cool completely, then transfer mixture to jars or serving bowls.

3. To prepare the glaze, place water, light brown sugar, whiskey and sea salt in a small sauce pan. Do not stir throughout the making of the caramel. Heat gently until bubbling, then increase to high heat and cook for 5 minutes until it has thicken to a caramel consistency. Pour a thin layer to cover the pate. Cover with the lids (if using jars) or cling film (if using serving bowls) and refrigerate.

4. Remove from fridge at least 15 minutes ahead of serving. Serve with bread or crackers.

Chestnut and mushroom ravioli with whiskey shallot butter sauce

The chestnut and brussel sprouts garnish are not necessary if this is your mid week dinner, but if you are serving this up for Christmas dinner / at a dinner party, the little bit of extra garnish makes a huge difference! And you can always make extra roasted chestnuts and brussel sprouts as aperitif and / or side dishes!

We don’t have a pasta machine so we have opted for store bought fresh lasagne sheets, but if you have a pasta machine at home – homemade pasta will work equally well, if not better!

1/3 of the above paterecipe makes about 10 large raviolis, serve 2.

Ingredients

For the filling

1/3 of pate from above recipe

50g parmesan, finely grated

About 200g fresh lasagne sheets, cut into 20 6cm x 8cm rectangles

Serving suggestion below is for 2 people using a total of 10 raviolis as main course

For the whiskey butter

2 tbsp unsalted butter

35g shallots, finely diced

2 Tbsp whiskey (preferably a smokey one)

For the topping

1 lemon, zest only

15g Parmesan, grated (you may not need all of this)

To garnish (optional)

2 cooked and peeled chestnuts

2 brussel sprouts

Direction

1. ( ignore this step if you are not using chestnuts for garnishing) Heat oven to 150C. When hot, place six chestnuts into the oven. Cook for 10 - 15 minutes until the chestnuts are roasted and dry on the outside. Once cold enough to handle, thinly slice the chestnuts. Set aside to let cool completely.

2. ( ignore this step if you are not using brussel for garnishing) Steam Brussel sprouts for about 12 minutes until just cooked. Plunge into a bowl of cold water to prevent further cooking. Drain and pluck out individual leaves. Set aside.

3. Prepare the ravioli.

a. ( if you are using freshly homemade pasta, you can skip this step) Place a quarter of the lasagne rectangles into a deep dish. Pour boiling water over the sheets and let soak for 45 – 60 seconds until slightly softened before handling. Repeat this only when more pasta rectangles are needed.

b. Remove rectangles one by one (let the rest stay in the dish of hot water) only when required. Drain away excess water (but don’t pat it dry – a bit of water remaining is fine). Place a rectangle of pasta sheet onto a lightly floured surface. Quickly place a large tablespoon of filling into the middle of one rectangle, then cover with another pasta rectangle, using water to seal the edges. Try to expel all the air from inside the ravioli and give it a confident squeeze or use a fork to press the edges to seal it properly. Place the pasta on a lightly floured plate. Repeat with the remaining pasta rectangles and filling.

4. Prepare the whiskey butter. Heat 3 Tbsp butter in a small sauce pan. Once hot, add diced shallots. Cook for 2 – 3 minutes until fragrant, then add 5 Tbsp whiskey. Cook for a further 5 minutes or so until shallots are softened. Switch off the heat.

5. Bring a pot of lightly salted water to boil. Add ravioli and cook for about 3 minutes until al dente. Drain.

6. While the raviolis are cooking, Quickly heat up the whiskey shallot butter again. When hot, add another 3 tbsp of butter. Once the butter is fully melted and slightly reduced and mixed well, this is ready.

7. To serve, divide the raviolis amongst the plates. Top with a bit of parmesan ( to taste), sliced and roasted chestnuts (optional), brussels sprouts leaves (optional), and lemon zest, and finally drizzle whiskey shallot butter sauce over the raviolis. Serve immediately.