I am so very late on posting this, but hopefully the “better late than never” saying would apply in this case too. I actually made these items right around the time they were supposed to be shared, but packing and moving has gotten in the way.
This is my first month being a part of the Daring Cooks Challenge at The Daring Kitchen. Just like The Daring Bakers, I am VERY excited to take part. Stepping out of my comfort zone with new foods and new techniques is so much easier when you make a commitment to being part of the group. It’s exactly what I need and I am finding the new experiences are well worth it.
Our hostesses this month, Evelyne of Cheap Ethnic Eatz, and Valerie of a The Chocolate Bunny, chose delicious pate with freshly baked bread as their June Daring Cook’s challenge! They’ve provided us with 4 different pate recipes to choose from and are allowing us to go wild with our homemade bread choice.
The 4 choices for the pâté were: Three Spice Liver Pâté, Chicken Liver Pâté, Tricolor Vegetable Pâté, or a Trout and Shrimp Pâté.
Like many things on Homemade Living, this challenge was the first time for several things for us: making & eating pâté, making & eating pesto and making a French baguette. We’re all about learning and trying new things here and this was a big one. It would have been much more daring to try the more traditional liver pâté, but since we’ve never had any sort of pâté, I was a bit scared of attempting that. I decided to play it a bit safer and go with the Tricolor Vegetable Pâté.
Everyone in the family enjoyed the pate. Each layer had so much flavor and I think it went perfectly with the bread. At first thought, I was thinking this would have went just as well with crackers, but I think bread is definitely the way to go with it (crackers would work too if needed). The pesto turned out good, although, I really have to try making it a few more times (and maybe other recipes) to know if I had it “right” or not. But I liked it and everyone else liked it, so I guess that’s all that matters.
I would make this pâté again – perhaps next time a prettier mold. Or maybe with some garnish and other touches to make it look even nicer on the platter. One thing is for SURE, if I make the same recipe, I will make it for a party or get-together. It made quite a lot, and unfortunately, some of it went to waste before our family of five could enjoy it all.
For my bread, I chose the French Baguette. It tasted good and had a nice texture on the inside, but I wasn’t happy with the way it looked. It was much too dark! I was hoping for a nice, beautiful golden brown color – a picture perfect bread that would have everyone jealous of my bread making skills. But, no, not this time around. This is no fault of the recipe, but rather my oven which is old and very frustrating. Would it have come out perfectly if my oven wasn’t as sad as it is? Oh, yes, surely. I’m sure a perfect oven would have made a perfect bread. {picture a big winking eye at ya!}
So, a great experience – lots of learning and tasty eatings! And the next time I make Tricolor Vegetable Pâté and bread, I’m inviting more people over.
Linda www.mykindofcooking.com says
What a great appetizer! I like your idea about putting it in a pretty mold.