This tasty spread for crackers won’t freak anyone out, since there is no—ugh!—liver involved. You can tweak it to suit your own tastes, using pecans or hazelnuts, toasting the nuts, reducing or increasing the cayenne; or using fresh chopped herbs such as thyme.
Walnut Pâté
¼ cup butter (half a stick)—do not substitute with margarine or oil
2 medium onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 hard-cooked eggs, peeled (as if …)
½ pound fresh green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces and cooked
¾ cup chopped walnuts
½ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons dry sherry
¼ teaspoon ground cayenne or to taste
2 tablespoons dried breadcrumbs
Lemon juice
Melt butter in a pan; add onions and sauté over medium heat until soft; do not brown. Put into a food processor along with the garlic, eggs, green beans (don’t overcook them), walnuts, salt, sherry, and cayenne, and process until well blended, but be careful not to liquefy, or it won’t be pretty! Add crumbs and pulse a few more times. Taste for salt and adjust if necessary. Spoon pâté into a container and drizzle lemon juice over the surface, as for guacamole. Cover and chill overnight in the refrigerator.
Serve with a variety of crackers. Makes about 3 cups.