Vegan Pate de Champagne

(pictured: pate de champagne with flat bread, dijon and freshly ground black pepper)

As I told you earlier I make almond milk almost everyday. That means I have a lot of strained almond solids leftover from making the milk. I decided to make a different version of bread spread today and thought I would try a healthy version of pate de champagne based on the concept used in the Braunschweiger recipe. Pate de Champagne was easier to replicate without meat since it is lower in liver than most pates.

Yesterday I was soaking dried mushrooms for smoked mushrooms and had leftover soaking liquid. I took the soaking liquid (about three cups) and simmered it until it was almost gone (about ¼ cup) and added that to the pate for extra flavor and brown color.

My husband always jokes that I cook with things other people throw away. And as I am writing this I realize his statement is truer than I have admitted in the past. I suppose I don’t see the logic in throwing away things that are still useful. If you make almond milk and are looking for another use for the leftover strained almond pulp you may want to give this a try. This pate is in the spirit of Pate de Champagne since that is s country terrine that is humble and made from trimmings.

Vegan Pate de Champagne
Serves 8

Ingredients:

Strained Almond Pulp from making almond milk
4 tablespoons whole-wheat flour
4 tablespoons nutritional yeast
4 ounces potato, scrubbed and cut into chunks
¼ cup of reduced mushroom soaking liquid
¼ cup of almond milk
2 tablespoons of onion flakes
1 clove garlic, peeled
¼ teaspoon cloves
¼ teaspoon coriander
¼ teaspoon ginger
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon of kosher salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons of fresh parsley, finely minced – optional
1 tablespoon of cognac - optional

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Put everything in your blender and process until completely smooth. If the mixture is too thick to pour into small loaf pans add a little more almond milk and process again. If you use the cognac add that the food processor. The option parsley should be stirred in at the end so it isn’t completely pulverized making the pate green.

Pour the mixture into small loaf pans (4 ½ by 2 ½ by 1 ½) and place in a large pan and add water half way up the sides of the loaf pans.

Bake the pate for 60 minutes; it should be firmer than when you started but still soft. Turn the heat off but leave the pate in the oven for another 30 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and take the loaf pans out of the water bath. Place them on a wire rack to cool completely. The pate will become firmer in the refrigerator.

I wrap the loaf pans in plastic cling film and then put the pans in another large container with a tight seal. They will last in the refrigerator for a week if kept in the coldest part of the refrigerator.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 70.61
Calories From Fat (39%) - 27.2

Total Fat - 4.39g
Saturated Fat - 0.04g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 565.49mg
Potassium - 340.37mg
Total Carbohydrates - 7.8g
Fiber - 1.36g
Sugar - 0.62g
Protein - 3.5g

Comments:

If you want to take this over the top fried finely sliced shallots or thinly sliced mushrooms would be fantastic on top of this pate. I like mine with Dijon mustard and red onion (pickled or not). In our house this is used on bread or crackers. It would also be good on a sandwich with roasted veggies.