Salmon Pate

 

1 1/2 lb Boned and skinned salmon

1 ts Salt

1 ts Ground white pepper

1/2 ts Ground cloves

1/2 ts Ground mace or nutmeg

1/2 ts Ground bay leaves

1/2 lb Butter

Fresh lemon juice

Chopped parsley or chives

-for decoration

Check that as many bones as possible really have been removed, then put the salmon into a large saucepan of cold water with a pinch of salt and a squeeze of lemon juice. Bring it to the boil, then turn the heat down and poach gently for 10 to 15 minutes - one large piece of salmon will take longer than a couple of smaller pieces. Turn off the heat and allow to cool in the water for another 10 minutes. If the skin is still on, you will find it lifts away effortlessly at this point. Put the salmon into a big bowl and mash it with a fork, or use a food processor. gently melt the butter in a saucepan and add to it all the other seasonings - the ground bayleaves, white pepper, cloves, mace or nutmeg and the salt. Stir thoroughly and pour it into the salmon. If you are using a food processor, give it another quick whizz, otherwise stir with a fork until it is thoroughly amalgamated. If you want to serve the salmon pate in slices, spoon the mixture into a loaf shaped container lined with cling film, otherwise put it into a round bowl of souffle dish. Smooth the top and sprinkle with a little parsley or chives for a lovely contrasting colour, and chill in the fridge for at least four hours. Serve with lots of crusty french bread. Source: Michael Barry, Yes! Magazine 

Earth, Wind, and Fire theme- Shining Star

Check out my menu for music in the park, with Earth, Wind and Fire. I used several short legged tables. Covered them with various cloths typical for the names: Earth, Wind, Fire.The tables had sides on them and then each guest received a boxed dinner that contained a beef tenderloin sandwich, cointreau marinated fruits and a delicious brownie with Four different flavored icing dots.
The menu:
Earth table
Beet Salad with Fig Vinaigrette
Potato Salad
Roasted Carrot Salad

Wind Table
Bean Salad
Deviled Eggs
Pate
Crab cakes with avocado sauce

Fire Table
Red Pepper, Goat Cheese Tart
Spicy Thai Noodles
Blue Cheese Ham Slaw

Sheeps Pig

Slash food blog always comes through when I'm looking for something....different ~
Getting tired of plain ol' bacon? How about trying some tasty sheep pig? Yup, that's right: Sheep pig. It's not actually a cross between a sheep and a pig, but rather a really woolly pig -- imagine a pig with a perm and you get the picture.

The pigs are an ancient rare breed hailing from Hungary. They're called either Mangalica, Mangaliza or Mangalitsa hogs (depends what suburb of Budapest you come from) and their maroon hued meat is very rich and fatty. They fell out of favor because they can't be kept in small pens and the demand for marbled pork fell, but in the last few years the breed has been revived.

In the 1990's, a Spanish jamon company established a breeding program in Hungary and now D'Artagnan (a specialty meat purveyor) distributes the ham throughout the New York region.


I want to share this delicious pate I found on BH&G a few years ago. It's one of my favorites, especially after you let the flavors meld...
Lemongrass Shrimp Pate

ingredients
1/2 cup water
2 stalks lemongrass, cut up
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1 3-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup dairy sour cream
1/3 cup snipped fresh cilantro
3 cloves garlic, quartered
1 small fresh red chili pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1/8 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 cups finely chopped, cooked, peeled, and deveined shrimp (8 ounces)
Cooked, peeled, and deveined shrimp (optional)
Cilantro sprigs (optional)
Assorted crackers
directions
1. Bring water and lemongrass to boiling in a small saucepan. Remove from heat; cover and let stand until cool, about 30 to 45 minutes. Strain, reserving liquid; discard lemongrass. (Add water, if necessary, to liquid to equal 1/2 cup.) Return liquid to saucepan. Sprinkle with gelatin; let stand 5 minutes to soften. Cook and stir over low heat just until gelatin dissolves; cool slightly.

2. Combine cream cheese, sour cream, cilantro, garlic, chili pepper, and salt in a food processor bowl or blender container; add gelatin mixture. Cover and process or blend until well-combined. Transfer to a medium mixing bowl; stir in the 1-1/2 cups shrimp.

3. Line a 7x3-1/2x3-inch loaf pan or a 3-1/2- to 4-cup bowl or mold with plastic wrap. Spread shrimp mixture evenly in container. Cover and chill for 4 to 24 hours. Unmold onto a serving platter; remove plastic wrap. If desired, garnish with additional cooked shrimp and fresh cilantro sprigs. Serve with assorted crackers. Makes 12 servings.

nutrition facts
Calories 138, Total Fat (g) 11, Saturated Fat (g) 7, Cholesterol (mg) 70, Sodium (mg) 145, Carbohydrate (g) 2, Fiber (g) 0, Protein (g) 8, Vitamin A (DV%) 0, Vitamin C (DV%) 3, Calcium (DV%) 5, Iron (DV%) 5, Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Enjoy!
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