Smoked Catfish Pate - cooking recipe

Ingredients

4 beer-brined smoked catfish fillets (see related recipe)
1 cup hot water
1 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 (12 ounce) cans beer (such as Budweiser)
1 tablespoon fresh coarse ground black pepper
6 bay leaves, crumbled
4 large catfish fillets, about 3/4 pound each
to taste olive oil
1 tablespoon wood chips
Pate
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 - 3/4 cup sour cream
2 large shallots, minced
2 tablespoons capers, in liquid
2 teaspoons caper juice
1/4 teaspoon granulated garlic
Tabasco sauce (5 shakes (or more)
fresh ground pepper (to taste)

Preparation

Brine and smoke catfish according to recipe. While still warm, break fillets into pieces, removing any bones. Add cream cheese and mix well. Add 1/2 cup of the sour cream and mix well. Add the shallots, capers, caper juice, garlic and Tabasco. Taste for seasoning, add more sour cream and/or cream cheese at this point if the pate is a little dry or tastes a little salty. Adjust Tabasco and add freshly ground pepper to taste.
Note: Do not add any salt to this dish because the brine and the smoke \"salts\" the fish before it is mixed into the pate.
Let chill for at least 3 hours or preferably overnight. Taste once more before serving and adjust seasonings if necessary. Serve on the cold side of room temperature on homemade melba toast (slice a loaf of French bread in small rounds, lay out on a cookie sheet and bake in a 250\u00b0F oven until golden and the bread is dried out) or your favorite crackers. Top with a dollop of sour cream and a bit of caviar if desired.
Serves 4-10 as an appetizer.