Picnics with Pâté!

It is time for outdoor activities. One of the simplest and funnest ways to eat outside, and  spend time with friends and family is to go for a picnic!. You can take it to the next level with sophisticated and delicious Alexian Pâté.

There are many ways of doing a good pâté snack pack. For instance, making pâté toasts. First, choose your favorite Alexian Pâté, put it on top of the bread, add some cheese or veggies and… voila! it is ready to go!

Another option is  creating a delicious cheese platter and Alexian Pâté. To prepare, cut  pâté and a variety of cheeses in cubes. They are both a great combination to enjoy. 

If you are a fan of dipping Alexian,  carrot and celery sticks, or  tortilla chips  are the chosen snacks. We suggest some fresh options such as our Tomato Basil, with vegetable sticks.

Summer Dinner Ideas for the Whole Family

Ever since our childhood, Summer has been a time to relax with our families: barbecues, picnics, cookouts, long evenings on the patio, and of course great home cooked dinners. Check out these new twists on classic and easy dishes.

1. Potato Salad 

Whether you are enjoying an outdoor BBQ or an indoor dinner, a potato salad can complement your meal like nothing else can.
Ingredients

Boil a large pot of salted water. Add potatoes and cook until soft. Rinse with cold water.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the potatoes, eggs, cucumber, tomato, celery, onion, green onion, pâté, mayonnaise, and mustard. Blend evenly. 
Add desired salt & pepper for flavor.

2. Duck Rillette Quesadilla

Ingredients

To make a simple flavor-filled quesadilla, spread Duck Rillette on tortillas and top with grilled onions and peppers. Grilled seasonal vegetables such as zucchini, tomatoes, and bell peppers. Grill tortillas with all ingredients and vegetables inside. 

3. Dilly Truffle Mousse Ball

Ingredients
 

Combine first six ingredients, beating until smooth. Cover and chill until firm or overnight. Shape into a ball and roll in a mixture of nuts and parsley. Serve it on a plate surrounded by assorted crackers.

Pâté Fans Share their Favorite Breakfast Recipes

We always say breakfast is the most important meal of the day. So, why not start with a delicious Alexian Pâté. Here are 3 breakfast recipes shared by Alexian Pâté lovers.

1. Pâté on a bagel

By Michelle, Jersey City, New Jersey
Ingredients:

Toast the bagel of your choice lightly before spreading any of our mousses on top. We recommend Duck Liver and Pork Mousse with Cognac or Truffle Mousse. Add the sliced tomatoes and cucumber on top, then season with salt and pepper. It makes a wonderful breakfast or lunch!

2. Pâté Omelet

By Jennifer, Torrance, California 

Ingredients:

We suggest using coarse pâtés sliced and cubed for omelets. Our Chicken and Veal Pâté is particularly tasty and will give any omelet a distinct flavor.
For best results when making omelets, we recommend using a non-stick pan.  Since omelets tend to cook quickly, it is recommended to prepare your ingredients ahead of time so they are ready to be folded in when the eggs begin to set. Top your ingredients with your favorite cheese, fold egg over, and enjoy!

3. Pâté Crêpe

By Alex, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

            Ingredients:

Before you start cooking, grease your flat grill or skillet.

Using a hand mixer, combine all of the ingredients into a smooth batter. Pour onto the grill or skillet and heat for one minute on each side, or until desired crispness is achieved. For a savory crepe, spreadon a thin layer of one of our creamy mousses.  For a more filling meal, layer our Truffle Mousse with shredded chicken, asparagus and roasted tomatoes.

Easy and Colorful Spring Cheese Board

Let’s face it: Spring calls for more snacks in the park and less stressful cookin’ in the kitchen. Enter our easy and colorful Spring cheese board. Here’s everything you need to know to craft one and celebrate the season.

Your (Simple) Guide to an Easy and Colorful Spring Cheese Board

First thing’s first: You must add color. No exceptions. Be sure to set aside foods like strawberries, blueberries, green grapes— you get the idea.

As to how to go about actually creating the board, here’s the rundown. Begin by piling up the savory goods. This includes everything from your favorite cheeses, meats, and pâtés. Add any spreads— like jams and honey— around the board. Afterward, you can add the berries and nuts to fill in all the empty spaces. Best of all, these little guys will also give a beautiful pop of color to the presentation.

At the very end, surround the board with fresh crackers and baguette slices. And just like that, you’ve got yourself a successful Spring cheese board!

Ingredients

Breakfast Ideas to Whip Up for Mom This Mother’s Day

Start Mother’s Day off right with these three delicious yet simple breakfast ideas.

Savory Breakfast Sandwich

Short on time but still want to impress mom? Then opt for our simple savory breakfast sandwich recipe.

Spread our Forest Mushroom Pâté on a toasted baguette, followed by over medium eggs and mixed greens. Hearty and delicious, the baguette will absorb all the delicious egg yolk and leave mom a happy camper.

Go-To Breakfast Wrap

For something lighter, try our Tomato Basil Vegan Pâté on a whole wheat tortilla. Add in scrambled eggs, sliced avocado, and fresh baby spinach; then wrap up and enjoy.

If mom is vegan, simply swap the eggs for other veggies— onions, broccoli, or bell peppers. Healthy and delicious? We’ll take three servings, please.

Elegant Duck Crepe

Duck Rilletteis rich and full of flavor, making it the perfect filling for a decadent breakfast crepe. Best of all, this recipe is super easy. In fact, the other two ingredients in this recipe are sautéed onions and bell peppers. That’s it.

Once you’ve sautéed the vegetables— preferably with some minced garlic, salt, and pepper— spread the Duck Rillette onto a warm crepe. Add the sautéed onions and bell peppers. Voila!

Our Pâté Picks for Spring

Ah, winter. Let’s just say: We’re glad it’s nearly over with.

While we enjoyed our many culinary adventures throughout the season, we’re looking forward to what spring may bring, especially when it comes to— yep, you guessed it— pâté.

We here at Alexian have done the research to see which pâté varieties could gain tons of traction in the upcoming season, and we’ve come up with a few guesses. So, what will be on our plate as the flowers begin to bloom? Well, let’s find out.

Vegan Pâté

Recent reports by food forecasters have suggested that plant-based items will be all the rage in 2022, and pâté is no exception. Light, tasty, and 100% meat-free, our three vegan pâté offerings are sure to raise the interest of plant-based eaters nationwide. From the earthy notes of our Earthy Mushroom terrineto our Curry & Bell Pepper and Italian-inspired Tomato Basil,, our herbivorous pâtés are sure to be popular meat replacements that taste just as delicious as their non-vegan counterparts.

Wild Forest Mushroom Pâté

This upcoming season, food experts expect “to see an uptick in recipes that call on mushrooms,” according to Delish. Enter our Wild Forest Mushroom Pâté. Featuring a number of ingredients—namely, premium pork and pork liver, chopped shiitake mushrooms, and sherry wine— this unique pâté offers a simple, refined taste that can be enjoyed on its own, or in a variety of dishes. Most importantly, the recipe is a call back to its gourmet heritage, which has been made and celebrated for centuries in Europe.

Truffle Mousse

Experts agree that this season will see a return of fine dining. “If you follow restaurant trends over the last two decades, when we’ve come out of a period of unrest—including 9/11 or the 2008 economic crisis, for example—there’s been a return to super high-end dining and really inventive cuisine,” Paul C Reilly, chef/owner of Coperta and Apple Blossom in Denver explained to Food & Wine. “The time is ripe for this and I think people will be willing to go out and spend more and gather together around a more formal dining experience.”

This brings us to the question: What says fine dining more than truffles? Full-flavored and easy to spread, our Truffle Mousse is a decadent combination of pork, turkey and chicken liver, sherry, truffles, wild mushrooms, and spices. It’s smooth, it’s creamy, it’s… delicious. And while it might not be “fine dining” in the traditional sense of, say, eating at a Michelin starred restaurant, it’s definitely a high-quality, gourmet indulgence. There’s no doubt about it: Truffle Mousse is surely one food that will define how we eat in the upcoming months.

Women’s History Month: Celebrating with Alexian

March is Women’s History Month– honoring and encouraging the study, observance, and celebration of women in American history. And this Women’s History Month, we’re taking a look inward, at Alexian’s leadership.

Alexian is a Women Owned Business— certified by the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC), and is family owned too! Laurie founded the business with her husband and has guided the business through decades of triumphs and challenges. With Alexandra now at the helm serving as the second generation President, the mother-daughter duo are celebrating the company’s next chapter and 40th anniversary!

“We’re thrilled to have come so far,” Alexandra told us. “Our company was started by my father, Ewald Groezinger, in 1982. Although our company turns 40 years old this year, its heritage and recipes are much older than that— and we can’t wait to continue on for another 40 more years.”

Laurie added, “Even after 40 years, we still love what we do. We take great pride and care in making our products and upholding our family’s legacy.”

A Little More About Alexian Pâté

All Natural

Alexian has always made a commitment to preparing pâtés and mousses with high quality ingredients that you know and love. We sacrifice nothing but the unpleasantries of preservatives, additives and unnecessary fillers.

Animal Welfare

All meats are sourced from carefully selected vendors who certify that their breeding and raising practices are humane and sensitive to the health and well being of their stock. Depending on the species these practices will include: No administration of antibiotics or growth stimulants; a vegetarian fed diet; , minimal confinement appropriate to healthy growth and safety of the species.

Community Welfare

In addition to Feeding the Hungry in our local community, Alexian is a regular contributor to Food Banks and other nonprofits throughout the USA.

Conservation Practices

Alexian pâtés are packaged in printed cardboard sleeves that carry the seals of the Forest Stewardship Council®, certifying that the sourcing of materials promotes responsible forest management to support local communities. The corrugated cartons used to ship Alexian products are made from recycled materials and printed with water based inks.

No Shortcuts

We consistently deliver high quality products, while providing outstanding customer service. Rather than seeking short term gains, we have adopted a long term perspective in the way we conduct our business.

The Perfect Valentine Pre-Dinner Bite: Pâté with Toast

One of life’s greatest indulgences? Toppings on bread.

Simple and delicious, paté with toast is one of the most underrated snacks around. Incredibly flavorful— and easy to whip up— it’s a snack that’s sure to please family and friends alike. Oh, and did we mention lovers, too?

Yes, that’s right: This Valentine’s Day, it’s all about keeping it low-key and chill— and that means when it comes to cooking, too. Whether you’re having a juicy steak for dinner, premium pasta, or ordering in, pâté with toast is the perfect pre-dinner bite to get your belly rumbling for more.

Here’s a few recipes you can start off with.

Balsamic Bruschetta

Slice and lightly toast a baguette. Spread a thin layer of our Tomato-Basil Vegan Pâté onto each of the slices and set aside. Combine diced tomatoes and roughly chopped basil in a small bowl. Stir in balsamic vinegar until all pieces are evenly coated. Spoon the mixture onto each slice, and top with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese or fresh, sliced mozzarella. Yum!

Mushroom Bites

As versatile as they are filling, mushrooms are a must-have in the kitchen. To make this delicious toast, simply sauté a few of your favorite mushrooms with sliced onion. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Spread a generous helping of our Black Peppercorn Mousse Pâté onto a toasty baguette, top with the sautéed vegetables, and enjoy!

Fruity Delights

Start with a fresh, lightly toasted baguette. Next, place a moderate layer of peach preserves, followed by a generous layer of Grand Marnier or Pheasant & Rosemary.
Top with a handful of fresh arugula and just a sprinkle of freshly cracked black pepper. Leave it open faced or top it with another piece of baguette. Voila!

Most Underrated Breads You Should Serve with Pâté

Deciding which bread to pair with pâté can be a… well, an overwhelming process. So, with the hope of helping you feel more equipped when you go to grab that lovely loaf off the grocery shelf, we carefully rounded up our top bread choices for accompanying pâté. That said, we’re not highlighting just any bread choices— instead, we’re focusing on the underrated ones. Read on below.

Ciabatta

An Italian bread made from wheat flour, salt, yeast, and water, ciabatta is crusty, versatile, and addictively delicious. Perfect for sandwiches and paninis, it also pairs well with— yep, you guessed it— pâté.

Sourdough

A yeasted bread made from a starter — a fermented mixture of flour and water— sourdough is infamous for making fantastic grilled cheeses. Offering a substantial crust with a soft, chewy center and large air bubbles, this loaf is amazing when paired with our vegan selections, veggies, and French cheese.

Focaccia
An Italian bread typically baked flat, focaccia is similar to pizza dough, and is often flavored with rosemary and garlic. Typically coated with olive oil before baking for a delicate yet crispy crust, it’s often enjoyed on its own, but is also great for dipping in soup or serving with meat, cheese, and pâté.

Brioche

A French bread made with eggs and butter, brioche is a super light bread with subtle sweetness. Its totally soft crust— and golden hue— makes for an amazing match to our pâté. Think: A soft-as-a-pillow pastry with an ever-so delightful savory touch.

2021 Roundup: Our Top 5 Recipes of the Year

Before the year ends, we wanted to look back at our favorite recipes of 2021. Read on below.

The Millennial’s Bagel

What You Will Need:

Full of texture and bursting with flavor, perk up your day with this finger-licking-good recipe that lends a modern twist to a classic bagel flavor.

Toast the halves of an everything bagel to a golden, brown color. Spread the cream cheese across the bagel halves (the more the better). Pile high with the Chicken Liver Mousse and chives. Voila!

Vegan Crepe

Made with just six ingredients, this vegan crepe recipe is ridiculously simple— and extraordinarily delicious. All you’ll need is Earthy Mushroom Pâté, chickpeas, diced onion, minced garlic, spinach, and soy sauce.

In a skillet, heat the oil over medium heat and add the diced onion and Earthy Mushroom pâté. Sauté for 3-4 minutes before adding the chickpeas and soy sauce. Stir occasionally. 

Fry for a few more minutes and stir in the minced garlic. Toss in the spinach and cook for 1-2 more minutes, then turn off the heat.

Place the filling in a food processor or blender for some seconds, and then spread 1½ to 2 tablespoons of the filling onto a dairy-free crepe. Salt and pepper to taste.

A Pâté-Inspired Grilled Cheese

For an “adult” twist on a grilled cheese you can turn to again and again, gather shredded white cheddar, sliced Swiss, a thick sliced bread, grilled onions, and our Wild Forest Mushroom Pâté.

Butter one side of two slices of bread. Add a thin slice of our Forest Mushroom Pâté, top with a slice of Swiss cheese, a sprinkle of white cheddar cheese, the grilled onions, another slice of Swiss, and finally the other slice of bread. Cook butter-side-down in a nonstick pan until golden brown on each side. 

Tomato Pasta Salad

Featuring large chunks of ripe tomatoes, fresh basil, tangy red onion, and Parmesan cheese,  Tomato Pasta Salad is a satisfying meal that everyone will love.

For our pâté-inspired version of this recipe, you will need:

Beef Kaldereta

Naturally, we saved the best (and most complex in our list) for last.

An iconic dish in the Philippines, Beef Kalderata is a savory beef stew cooked with creamy tomato sauce, fresh vegetables, and liver spread (in our case, pâté). Commonly served on holidays and special occasions, this spicy mainstay is flavorful and tender, offering melt-in-your-mouth meat and soul-satisfying comfort that’s sure to impress.

Read on below for the recipe.

Ingredients:

Instructions: