Shrimp and Pâté Crostini Appetizers

I chose to combine these two appetizers, Chicken Liver Pâté and Shrimp with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce, since they were both served on toasted bread, or as they say in Italy, crostini. However, even though the toppings are both delivered via a delicious, crusty slice of toast, they have completely different flavor profiles. Depending on your palette, you might prefer one over the other like me; but even if I don’t like a certain food/dish the first time doesn’t mean that I won’t try it again. Read below to hear my thoughts on them and which one I actually liked.

Also, the plate was made by a talented local clay artist whom I met at my local farmers’ market. Please feel free to check out her beautiful products here. (Not an affiliate link, I just love supporting local vendors. <3)

Chicken Liver Pâté with Brûléed Pear

Two slices of toasted bread served on a white plate. One tis topped with a red sauce, shrimp, and tomatoes. The other served with chicken liver pâté, brûléed pear, and a parsley leave. — Chicken Live Pâté is on the right

Okay, did anyone here guess that this is the one I didn’t love? Honestly, I wanted to like it. It’s a fancy dish that I wish I could brag about liking. I don’t know if that’s weird, but I feel like some people might be able to relate. I honestly didn’t take enough bites to be able to fully explain why I didn’t like it, but the smell/texture/taste were all off for me. To avoid sounding like a negative Nancy, I will say I did enjoy the brûléed pear. I not only enjoyed the taste, but I loved the process. Again, I might be weird, but I love using a blowtorch. 😛

Shrimp Appetizer with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce and Pine Nut Purée

This one was really simple, but man, it was delicious. I love shrimp, and in this dish it was the hero. (If you like shrimp, too, here are some more MCJ shrimp apps to check out.) These were seasoned simply and paired perfectly with the roasted red pepper sauce and pine nut purée.

This is a great app that I’m going to tuck away and serve once the world reopens and I can have dinner parties again. It can be eaten while the shrimp are still warm or it can be served at room tempature. I love diverse dishes like this that don’t die quickly–a term we use in the food service industry.

Two slices of toasted bread served on a white plate. One is topped with a red sauce, shrimp, and tomatoes. The other served with chicken liver pâté, brûléed pear, and a parsley leave.

I look forward to trying pâté again, but hopefully in France 🙂 Either way, it was fun pretending like I was entertaining dinner guests in Italy while in my small kitchen in Texas. Food can transport you places, which is one of my favorite things about cooking. I can’t wait to see where my final MasterChef Junior dishes take me.

All my love,
Dani, a big tid

April 13, 2021
Chicken Liver Pâté with Brûléed Pear and Parsley Salad &
Crostini with Shrimp, Roasted Red Pepper, and Pine Nut Purée
Pg. 37 & Pg. 20
Alexander, Season 1 (winner) & Oona, Season 2
83 + 84 down…15 to go!