Blueberry-Lemongrass Almond Pate
serves 4-8, adapted from Vegetarian Times via Maple Spice
1/2 cup frozen or fresh blueberries
3 TBSP lemon juice, divided
3 TBSP natural cane sugar (evaporated cane juice), divided
75 grams blanched almond meal [see Note]
1/4 cup water
1 TBSP vegetable oil, such as canola or sunflower
1 tsp dried lemongrass (optional)
generous pinch fine sea or kosher salt
Combine blueberries, 1 TBSP lemon juice, and 1 TBSP sugar in a small pot. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until berries break down (the mixture will still be chunky) and are thickly glazed, 5-7 minutes.
Blend all other ingredients, including remaining lemon juice and sugar, with an immersion blender until very smooth.
Line an 8-oz ramekin with a double layer of cheesecloth. (A closed nut milk bag may also be lain into the ramekin, but the softer cheesecloth will give you a neater mold.) Spoon half the almond mixture into the ramekin, spreading and smoothing the mixture into the mold with the back of your spoon. Spoon the berries on top, leaving a small border, then finish with the almond mixture. Smooth the top, and chill at least 3 hours, or as long as overnight.
Heat oven to 350, and oil a cookie sheet. Use the ends of the cheesecloth to lift the pate out of the ramekin, remove the cheesecloth, and transfer to the prepared cookie sheet. (Alternately, if your pate seems a bit soft—the longer the chilling time, the less likely this will be—simply invert it onto the baking sheet and then peel the cheesecloth from the bottom.) Bake in the center of the oven until just golden, 35-40 minutes. Let cool before serving.
[Note: This works out to approximately 3/4 cup, plus 2 TBSP. Weighing is strongly recommended, as the final consistency (read: creaminess) will be affected with too much or too little almond meal. Weighing the meal will provide more consistent results.]