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| Pate Moi ready for action. |
Very occasionally I am approached to do a product review. Some, like Modern Farmer, contact me to find out what farm tool I love and ask me to review it as they did with the Travoy Bike Trailer by Burley. More often than not, it is a book I am offered to review, which I gladly do as it helps me keep myself up to date with new ideas and the people concocting them.
Pate Moi, though, was a different story. A popular item created by Flip Dunning and sold in London's Borough Market, Andrew Williams is here on the ground in Japan attempting to bring it to consumers hungry for something new and delicious. He and his small cohort have been working hard to spread the news about their mushroom pate, and so he reached out to me to see if I might be interested. As I love to eat and have a special fondness for mushrooms, it seemed there was no choice but to say yes.
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| I'm salivating just looking at this. |
I should begin by saying that I do love regular pate despite negative feelings toward liver otherwise. The rich sharp flavor is a welcome one for me, reminiscent of childhood and Wisconsin relatives who spoke with a distinct German accent. Glasses of cold beer and plain crackers with liverwurst and cheese were the appetizer of choice in those days, and even now when I return home for a visit my mother has liverwurst waiting.
I also love mushrooms. I won't digress for too long, but coming to Japan, a land of myriad mushrooms in all shapes and varieties, with multiple uses and methods of growing and preparing, has been a boon for me personally. I'm also currently reading Michael Phillips' latest, Mycorrhizal Planet: How Symbiotic Fungi Work with Roots to Support Plant Health and Build Soil Fertility for review, so perhaps the mushroom pump was extra primed.
Pate Moi's mushroom pate is made from a few simple ingredients: brown cap mushrooms, butter, and yogurt. The exact amounts, of course, are a trade secret, although Andrew did say "Butter, lots of butter," as he looked thoughtfully at the containers on the table in front of us. However, it really doesn't matter. The pate is excellent.
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| It also paired divinely with asazuke. |
The smooth, rich flavor is exactly what one would hope for, and it paired well with everything from the crusty bread Williams thoughtfully brought along to our meeting, to the fresh, tomatoes and basil from my garden. It also did well with the spoon my husband pulled out to eat it by itself. It also made a nice thing to toss with our daily dose of noodles.
The pate is a nice alternative for those who like the idea of pate but not the ingredients. Liver or other organ meats are often distasteful to the modern palate, and Pate Moi's product is a nice alternative. One could call it a spread, but that does an injustice to the spirit in which it was created. Certainly, it is spreadable, but it's rich flavors are a delight that even now, long after every smidgeon of it has disappeared from container and kitchen, that makes my mouth water.
Do I recommend it? Wholeheartedly.
Where can it be found? Check their Facebook page to find out or chat with Andrew to arrange shipment. You won't be sorry.
