Chestnut Pate

Making a vegetarian pate is almost a cliché. But this shit is too good to not share. It started as so many things do in our kitchen: with a lot of shallots. This was a bit of experiment for us, as we’ve not worked much with chestnuts, so it might evolve. But have at it turkeys.

Shallot and Chestnut Pate
12 chestnuts
10 shallots
1 1/2 cup red wine
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup vegetable broth
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 Tbs. aged balsamic vinegar
1. Bring a medium pot to boil and toss in chestnuts with shell. Boiling them will loosen the shell. Remove and drain after about 10 minutes.
2. While the chestnuts boil, peel your shallots. Keep them whole, throw them in a large, deep skillet. Bring them up to high heat and toast them until aromatic and starting to brown. Then add red wine and red wine vinegar and bring back to a boil.
3. Peel your chestnuts using a sharp pairing knife. Make sure you remove both layers of membrane so that the chestnuts look like grayish yellow brains. Throw them in the boiling red wine pan. Season with alt and pepper to taste and let cook another 10 minutes.
4. Once wine is reduced by almost half, add brown sugar. Stir well, then add the broth. Let cook another 10 minutes. Once goopy and shallots are falling apart, remove from heat.
5. Then pour the contents into a food processor or blender and pulse vigorously. Add a pinch of cayenne pepper and the balsamic vinegar. Spread mixture on crackers or crostini and serve.