Still Life: Cheese-Nut Pate

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* Exported from MasterCook *

 

Cheese-Nut Pate

 

Recipe By : Still Life with Menu (1994), Mollie Katzen, page 40

Serving Size : 8 Preparation Time :0:00

Categories : Appetizers And Snacks

 

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method

-------- ------------ --------------------------------

2 tablespoons melted butter

(to grease the pan)

1 cup finely minced onion

1 tablespoon butter

8 ounces cream cheese

(lowfat okay)

1 pound cottage cheese

(lowfat okay)

1 cup ground almonds and walnuts -- combined

(use a food processor with steel blade or

a blender in quick spurts)

1/2 teaspoon salt -- (or to taste)

lots of black pepper

1 tablespoon minced fresh dill

(or 1 teaspoon dried)

2 teaspoons prepared mustard

2 teaspoons fresh lime or lemon juice -- up to 3

2 cups grated cheddar -- (packed)

***TOPPINGS***

1 cup ricotta

few walnut halves or whole almonds

OR chopped olives

radishes

cucumber slices

parsley

 

Preparation time: 20 minutes to assemble, 1 hour to bake. After several

hours of chilling, about 20 minutes to prepare for serving. Yield: serves

8 to 10 as an appetizer.

 

I think I've made this pate more than any other recipe in this book. It is

especially easy if you use a food processor, first to grate the cheddar,

and then to puree everything together.

 

You can get truly artful with the decorations. The pate gets frosted all

over with ricotta cheese, and then embellished ad infinitum with vegetable

slices, minced herbs, nuts, olives, etc. The dish creates a festive event

in and of itself and your guests will feel flattered.

 

The pate can be assembled and baked up to four days ahead. Wrap it

airtight and store in the refrigerator. Frost and garnish within hours of

serving.

 

1. Preheat oven to 325F. Melt and distribute 2 tablespoons butter in a

standard loaf pan.

 

2. In a small pan, saute onions in 1 tablespoon butter until soft.

 

3. Combine and whip together all ingredients (except those for

topping). Use the steel blade attachment on a food processor, or high

speed on an electric mixer.

 

4. When mixture is uniform, spread evenly into greased loaf pan.

 

5. Bake 1 hour. (When you take it out of the oven it will look

suspiciously loose, but don't worry. It firms up as it chills.) Allow to

cool completely in the pan, then chill for at least several hours before

turning out onto a serving platter.

 

6. To get the pate out of the pan, loosen it with a spatula. Invert it

onto a larger plate, holding the pan in place against the plate. Shake

firmly several times (or give it a whack). Remove the loaf pan. The pate

should emerge in one piece. If it breaks, you can easily mold it back

together. (Don't be (discouraged by how ugly it looks in its predecorated

state. It will be transformed by the ricotta and the garnishes.)

 

7. To decorate, spread a layer of ricotta cheese all over, as if frosting

a cake. Place whole or half nuts, olives, radishes, cucumber slices, and

parsley in the design of your choice. Serve with dark bread or good crackers.

 

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