I would like to introduce you to the weirdest thing I've ever made in my kitchen - Curried Cheese Paté. This oddity made its debut at our New Years Eve party. I ran across the recipe in one of those spiral bound Louisiana cookbooks I have lying around the loft. I've had it rolling around in the back of my mind for weeks. Given that the food theme for our party was "retro appetizers done right", I thought this might be my one chance to make a cream cheese log and don't have everyone give me the side-eye.
It turned out to be both a huge conversation starter around the table but it was also darned delicious! Despite the fact that my sweetie said "It looks like the 70's", it was devoured by our guests. It's a curious mix of curry powder, two kinds of cheeses, Worcestershire sauce and sherry all whizzed together and topped with the 80's interpretation of "Indian" flavors. It ends up working - so much so that two people emailed me asking for the recipe after our party. I thought I'd share it on the blog so all of my readers could see it, too. The version I've made for the photo was the recipe cut in half and done in a large round ramekin - hence the non-log-like shape. Go wild with the toppings - all of the garnishes on top really make it with great texture and crunch.
Curried Cheese Paté - recipe originally found in Jambalaya - serves 24
- 2 8 ounce packages cream cheese, softened
- 2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese, left to room temperature
- 6 tablespoons sherry
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon curry
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 8 ounce jar orange marmalade or mango chutney
- 1/2 cup roughly chopped peanuts
- 1/2 cup chopped green onions (down to the white part)
- 1/2 cup grated sweetened coconut
- In a food processor, cream together softened cream cheese, cheddar cheese, Worcestershire sauce, curry and salt until well combined. Line an 8 inch cake pan (or standard loaf pan) with plastic wrap to ensure your mold comes out of the pan. Fill pan with cheese mixture. Cover exposed side with plastic wrap and chill for at least 4 hours.
- Un-mold paté onto a large serving platter. Garnish in layers beginning with the chutney or marmalade, then peanuts, green onions and coconut. Serve with crackers or flat-bread. This may be refrigerated (covered) for up to 3 days.
