This chestnut mushroom pâté came from a memory rather than a recipe. There was a restaurant not far from mine in the Haute-Vienne whose patron was from Alsace — I forget his name, but I remember his pâté. It arrived in autumn, when the chestnuts were coming in and the mushrooms were appearing on the hillsides, and it tasted of both things unambiguously. I suspect there was cream involved — something Alsatian always finds its way in — and this version has crème fraîche in the same spirit. The fresh porcini and girolles came from a woman connected to the local hunt, dropped at the kitchen door while the wild boar were still being chased somewhere above the village. The dried porcini come from the cupboard at Casa Adora, twenty years later.

A note on chestnuts: vacuum-packed cooked chestnuts work well here and are available year-round. In autumn, if you can buy fresh chestnuts and roast and peel them yourself, the flavour is noticeably better and worth the effort.

Chestnut Mushroom Pâté — Ingredients & Method

(makes 2 ramekins)

• 15g dried porcini, soaked in 100ml warm water for 20 minutes
• 200g fresh porcini (cèpes), coarsely chopped
• 150g girolles (chanterelles), coarsely chopped
• 180g vacuum-packed cooked chestnuts, roughly crushed
• 60g butter, plus extra for sealing
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
• 75ml dry white wine
• 2 tbsp crème fraîche
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Drain the soaked dried porcini, reserving the soaking liquid. Roughly chop the rehydrated porcini and set aside. Pass the soaking liquid through a fine sieve or piece of kitchen paper to remove any grit — keep it.
2. Melt the butter in a wide pan over a medium heat. Add the garlic and thyme and cook gently for a minute until softened.
3. Add the fresh porcini and girolles. Cook over a medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms have released their liquid and it has evaporated — around 8 to 10 minutes.
4. Add the rehydrated porcini and pour in the white wine. Let it bubble and reduce for 2 minutes.
5. Add the reserved porcini soaking liquid and cook for a further 2 minutes until the mixture is cohesive but not wet.
6. Add the roughly crushed chestnuts and stir to combine. Cook for another 2 minutes to warm through.
7. Remove from the heat. Fold in the crème fraîche and season well. The texture should be coarse and spreadable — resist the urge to blend it.
8. Spoon into two ramekins, pressing down lightly. Melt a little extra butter and pour a thin layer over each to seal. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.

To serve
Sourdough or rye. A few cornichons if you have them.

To freeze
Leave unsealed, wrap tightly, and freeze for up to six weeks. Thaw overnight in the fridge and add the butter seal once defrosted.

This chestnut mushroom pâté is part of the Pâté & Rillettes Recipes hub — a complete collection of pâtés and rillettes from Casa Adora and the road.
It's also featured in my French Recipes, a collection of French recipes from a former Limousin restaurateur — confit, braises, fish, gratins, and van life French cooking from Casa Adora and the road.
Find more recipes and food adventures here.
Wonky photos, proper food, genuine adventures — The Flexible Chef