It's Time To Store Leftover Pate The Prue Leith Way

Many Americans know Prue Leith as the razor-sharp judge on "The Great British Bake Off," where she acts as the yin to Paul Hollywood's yang. On the show, she critiques all kinds of baked goods with a keen eye and taste buds that have been trained by her long career in the food industry. So, her new cookbook, called "Life's Too Short to Stuff a Mushroom," available starting October 15, may surprise some, as it's not full of tips on precision and perfection. Instead, it offers simple recipes, shortcuts, and cooking hacks.

One such tip involves pâté, a dish that some equate with poshness and wealth. In reality, pâté is basically a combination of ground protein (this can be meat, chicken, fish, or even wild game and offal), spices, and fat. It's also possible to make vegan pâté. The mixture is often placed into a pot or terrine mold and chilled before it's spread onto bread or crackers.

When it comes to leftover pâté, Leith writes, "If you need to keep your pâté longer than a few days, seal the potted-up pâté with butter rather than cling film. Pour a layer of melted, but cooled, butter over the top. When chilled this makes a durable seal and your pâté will last, refrigerated, for a fortnight. For longer, keep it in the freezer." This method is effective for storage because, when hardened, the butter does a great job of keeping air out of the food, which causes spoilage.

When the time comes for you to start digging into your leftover pâté, you may wonder, "Do I scrape the butter off first?" This is totally up to you, but keep in mind that fat often equals more flavor. There's nothing wrong with enjoying the dish with that solidified butter on top. If you don't want it, though, simply scrape off as much as you can.

With this in mind, when you pour your melted butter onto your terrine of pâté, use a high-quality butter, or take the extra step to clarify your butter, which makes it extra tasty. Many people prefer European butter over American because the former contains more butterfat, but you may also want to consider hand-rolled butter, which is your grocery store's best secret.

Ultimately, though, you can use whatever butter you have on hand since you don't necessarily need to pour a super-thick layer onto your pâté. Just enough to fully cover the top should be fine. As for pâté's hoity-toity reputation, it's basically a myth. Sure, there are some fancy brands available, but Prue Leith's recipe for sardine and spinach pâté contains exactly three ingredients: canned sardines in oil, frozen spinach, and butter. Everything is mixed in a food processor and stored with — you guessed it — a layer of melted butter on top.