Festive Recipe Ideas for Luxury Christmas Pâtés from Castle MacLellan

Following a fantastic response last year, Castle MacLellan will once again release its exceptionally tasty seasonal range of delicious limited edition premium pâtés, a must for this year’s Christmas menu.

 

To celebrate the return of the range, which complements its core selection of luxury Scottish pâtés, the company has developed a number of tasty recipes. The collection includes mouth-watering meals and canapés that demonstrate how the much-loved product can be used to make show stopping festive treats, as well as being the perfect topping for oatcakes, crackers and blinis.

 

The recipes include Mini Duck, Port and Plum Chutney Pies with a delicious ham hock and pâté centre encompassed in a golden pastry crust; crispy Chicken Parcels with cranberry sauce; and gourmet Salmon Cakes with a warming pinch of nutmeg.

The convenient Christmas pack is designed to allow the pâté to be easily turned out onto a plate as part of an elegant buffet spread. Made from the finest Scottish ingredients, the seasonal range comes in three delicious varieties:

 

Chicken Pâté with Brandy - soft, indulgent and enriched with butter cream and brandy, delicately finished with hints of thyme and sweet notes from the Galloway Bramley apple jelly.

Duck Pâté with Port - a smooth, rich, decadent and very “moreish” duck liver pâté with hints of sweet ruby port.

Smoked Salmon Terrine - a luxurious blend of smoked and poached salmon, cream cheese and crème fraiche, delicately flavoured with horseradish and lemon.

Castle MacLellan has been making the finest fresh luxury pâtés since 1982 and is dedicated to sourcing the very best local ingredients from small, independent companies rooted in Scottish heritage and provenance. The company remains an established and trusted brand, working with a number of local suppliers, which include Rannoch Smokery and The Orkney Fisherman’s Society.

 

Castle MacLellan Christmas pâtés range is available in supermarkets and independent stores throughout the UK from the end of November, priced around £2.99.

 

Mini Duck, Port and Plum Chutney Pies

Makes 8 pies

 

Ingredients:

1 Pack of Castle MacLennan Duck Pâté with Port

500g Packet Short Crust Pastry

200g Packet of ham hock

100g of Plum Chutney

Method:

1.    Preheat the oven to 200oC.

2.    Roll out the pastry to the thickness of a pound coin. Cut out 8x9cm circles of pastry for the base and 8x7cm circles for the top of the pie.  

3.    Take a muffin tray and brush the moulds with a little oil. Push the pastry base into the muffin case.

4.    Drop a tablespoon of the ham hock into the base of each pie, you want it to be about ½ full.

5.    Spread a thin layer of the Castle MacLellan Duck Pâté on top using about a tsp on each pie. Then drop the same amount of chutney onto top. 

6.    Brush the outer edge with milk/egg and add a pastry lid. Pinch the sides to seal and make a small hole in the top.

7.    Cook for 20-25 minutes or until the top is golden brown.

8.    Enjoy.

 

Chicken and Cranberry Parcels

Makes 4 parcels

 

Ingredients:

1 Pack of Castle MacLellan Chicken Pâté with Brandy

4 Sheets of Ready Roll Filo Pastry

20g of Cranberry Sauce

10g of Melted Butter

Flour

 

Method:

1.    Preheat the oven to 200’C

2.    Scoop the pack of Castle MacLellan Chicken Pâté with Brandy into a mixing bowl and stir in the cranberry sauce.

3.    Lay a sheet of filo pastry on a lightly floured surface and brush with melted butter. Work quickly as the pastry will start to dry out.

4.    Place a quarter of the pate mix in the centre and pull the diagonal corner to the middle to form a parcel.

5.     Pinch the pastry in around the pate and let the top fall over.

6.    Brush the parcels with butter again and place in a small muffin tin.

7.    Repeat steps 2-4 until you have used up all the pastry sheets and the pate mix.

8.    Bake the parcels for 10 minutes or until pastry is crispy and golden.

9.     Once removed from the oven place on a piece of kitchen paper to absorb any excess butter.

10.  Serve and enjoy.

Salmon Cakes
Makes 2 Salmon Cakes

 

Ingredients:

1 Pack of Castle MacLellan Smoked Salmon Terrine
1/2 Spring Onion
Pinch of Nutmeg
35g Breadcrumbs
1tbsp of Flour
1tbsp of Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper

Method:

1.    Finely chop the spring onion.

2.    Scoop the pack of Castle MacLellan Smoked Salmon Terrine into a mixing bowl.

3.    Add the spring onion and mix well. 

4.    Drop a pinch of nutmeg and breadcrumbs into the bowl and mix to combine all the ingredients.

5.    Divide mixture into 2 and shape into flat cakes.

6.    Sprinkle with flour and chill the salmon cakes in the fridge for 30 minutes.

7.    Coat bottom of frying pan with olive oil and fry the cakes over a medium/high heat for 2-3 minutes on each side until golden brown.

8.    Serve immediately with lemon wedges and sweet chilli sauce.