A versatile and easy pâté, this is equally at home spread on crackers or into the hollows of celery sticks for a quick canape, or smeared on fingers of crisp hot toast to serve beside a bowl of celery soup.
Substitute walnuts for hazelnuts if you prefer. Use a different blue cheese. Add a little finely chopped fresh parsley if you’d like it to be speckled with green. And if you want to turn it into a dip instead of a pâté, mix in a tablespoon or two of mayonnaise.
Stilton, Celery and Hazelnut Pâté
Ingredients:
130g Stilton cheese, crumbled
130g cream cheese
1 large stick of celery, strings removed, very finely chopped
30g chopped, toasted hazelnuts
Method:
NB: there are various ways to use the nuts in this recipe – incorporated into the pâté, sprinkled on top when you serve, or as a crust.
Mash the Stilton and cream cheese together in a bowl, chunky or smooth, whichever you like best. Just before you want to serve, add the finely chopped celery, otherwise the water in the celery will leach out and loosen the pâté.
Add the nuts if you’re putting them straight in. This gives a nubbly, rubbly texture some people will like and others … won’t. You may not need the full 30g: start with half the amount and see what you think.
Alternatively, form into a log using a piece of cling film, roll it in the hazelnuts and slice into discs. Or simply spread the pâté on toast, crackers or celery sticks and sprinkle with a few chopped nuts.
What a great way to get celery used up!
And that last (sealed) pot of Stilton from Christmas! Thanks, Dave.
Very nice and sooooo simple. I approve.
Thank you, Conor. I’m all about simple. (Two words in that sentence may be superfluous.) 🙂
Looks lovely!
My son, much to his annoyance as he loves all food (except cauliflower) has developed an intolerance to some fruit and some nuts. Hazelnuts are one of the things that make his mouth go dry and itchy – so I appreciate the flexibility of using walnuts instead.
Thank you, Penny. Actually it was my original intention to use walnuts but as usual I discovered at the last minute that I didn’t have any. What a nuisance that sudden intolerance must be … it would drive me (I was going to say nuts) crazy. Hope it doesn’t spoil his eating enjoyment too much. Lx
Yes, started in his late 20s. We work around it – he’s married so I don’t cook for him regularly any more. But we adapt – he loves my crumbles and they used to have hazelnuts in the topping, but I just replace with walnuts or almonds. Sometimes the things we can’t have appear extra appealing, forbidden fruit and all that.
Pete can’t have grapefruit and LONGS for some, whereas he never used to touch the stuff before it was ‘banned’!
Have you tried putting some Amaretti biscuits in the crumble mix, Penny? There’s a recipe somewhere on Mrs P, it’s an idea I pinched from Mark Hix and it works beautifully. Also, check out Catherine Phipps new book, Citrus. There may be alternatives so Pete can satisfy his cravings! It’s a lovely book, my copy just arrived and I’ve frittered away half the day reading it. Lx
Blue cheese, cream cheese, nuts – what’s not to like, yum!
But you have to admit to a certain bias …. thanks Jane! 🙂
Wow. what a fun recipe. I LOVE mixing cream cheese with various strong cheeses, but have never thought about celery. Brilliant dahling!
My dear, you are too, too kind! If you make it don’t do what I did the first time and put the celery in too early … then wonder why it’s too sloppy to roll …:) xx
I’m going to make this now. I have no celery or nuts but spring onion and seasame seeds should do the job. Yes, I’m sre they will. 🙂
Thanks for the inspiration.
You’re very welcome, I’m glad you like the look of it. Hope it turned out well.
Ah, slight problem as various moulds had mistaken the cream cheese for a petrie dish. Will try again after going shopping. 🙁
Ah, the old back-of-the-fridge problem! I suppose you could always try for penicillin instead. That reminds me, must clean out the salad drawer. 😀
Oh, salad drawers… Glad I’m not alone with this. 🙂
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