The Best Vegan Pâté

The best vegan pâté with homemade cranberry jam. Hearty, aromatic, and simply finger-licking good! I promise this will be your favorite vegetable pâté!

Ingredients:

• 100g millet porridge cooked with homemade vegetable concentrate or vegan broth (+150 ml water)
• 200g green lentils
• 120g vegan butter / clarified ghee / olive oil
• 1 sprig of fresh rosemary
• 1 onion
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 4 allspice berries
• 3 whole cloves
• 3 juniper berries
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 3 teaspoons tarragon
• 3 teaspoons savory
• 2 teaspoons marjoram
• 4 bay leaves (fresh or dried)
• 1 flat teaspoon fresh nutmeg

For decoration:

• 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary

Homemade cranberry jam:

• 2 cups fresh cranberries*
• 4 tablespoons coconut sugar / brown sugar
• 1 cup cold water
• 1 teaspoon cloves
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 and ½ flat teaspoons agar (vegan substitute for gelatin)

Preparation method:

1. Rinse the lentils and cook until tender (about 25 minutes). Drain and leave to cool.
2. Rinse the millet porridge thoroughly in a pot until the water is clear. Add 150 ml of cold water (with 1 teaspoon of homemade vegetable concentrate) or 150 ml of vegetable broth. Keep an eye on the millet and after it’s cooked, set it aside to absorb the broth completely.
3. In a pan, add 2 teaspoons of butter (about 20g). Melt over medium heat and add: cloves, juniper berries, allspice, garlic, and the onion sliced into wedges. Sauté for 3-4 minutes (until the onion and garlic slightly brown), then add the whole sprig of rosemary. Keep it on the heat for another minute.
4. Place the cooled lentils and fluffy cooked millet in a blender / Thermomix. Add all the sautéed ingredients (bay leaves, cloves, etc.) and the remaining 100g of butter.
5. Grind everything at high speed until smooth. The blender may need your help. You might need to stir and then start grinding again. The Thermomix “pushes” the mixture up, so I recommend stirring with a spatula along with it. If the mixture is too dry, gradually add cold water (starting with 50ml – up to 100ml). Grind until you achieve a uniform and smooth mixture. You can see how the consistency should look like on my Instagram, so feel free to check it out! 🙂
6. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Transfer the mixture into a loaf pan (35cm long) lined with parchment paper. Place it in the preheated oven and bake for about 50 minutes until lightly browned. You can slightly lift the paper to check if the pâté is browned at the bottom.
7. Homemade cranberry jam: Add 1 cup of fresh cranberries, sugar, water, and spices to a pot and cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes. Then add 1 more cup of cranberries and cook for another 15 minutes. Check the sweetness. If it’s too tart, gradually add sugar by the spoonful. The jam should be slightly sweet. Add agar and mix vigorously until it dissolves. Remove from heat.
8. For the cooled pâté, spread the warm homemade cranberry jam on top. Remember, the jam should be warm when spreading, as it will stiffen slightly when cooled. 😉
9. Leave the pâté in a cool place overnight.
10. Before serving, decorate with 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary. You can easily slice the pâté along with the fresh rosemary.

*You can use dried cranberries instead of fresh (1 cup). It’s best to choose those sweetened with apple juice from an organic source. When using dried cranberries, be cautious with sugar! Only add sugar at the end, gradually, and check the sweetness. The jam should be slightly sweet.