Best Party Pate Recipes

KAREN'S LIFE-OF- THE- PARTY CRAB PATE`

Steps:

• Place the crab meat into a large bowl a little at a time carefully looking for pieces of shell. Mix the remaining ingredients (except the topping) together well. You may find that kneading the ingredients will help to gain the smooth consistency needed to form nicely into a ball. Shape and mold into a ball. Place ball on a plate and place in the refrigerator with a loose cover until topping is finished. Topping: Over medium heat, mix butter, milk and gelatin together in double boiler. Continue to wisk until mixture is thickened. (be sure to place gelatin in with milk and butter while still cold. Otherwise, gelatin will not mix well). Set pan aside to cool for 5 minutes. Take plate of crab pate` ball out of the refrigerator. Spoon topping over crab pate` ball. The topping will set up once it comes in contact with the crab. You may not want to use all of the topping, only enough to provide a smooth textured covering. Let set 10 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator for several hours. I usually prepare the night before I am going to serve it and let it chill all day. Serve with a cheese knife on your favorite crackers. Enjoy!

PARTY AND HOLIDAY FOUR-CHEESE PATE (EASY)

Steps:

• 1. In a bowl, beat one package of cream cheese with milk and sour cream until smooth. Spread into a 9" pie plate lined with plastic wrap. Sprinkle with chopped pecans. In a bowl, beat Brie, Swiss, blue cheese and remaining cream cheese until thoroughly combined. Gently spread over chopped pecans, smoothing the top to form a flat surface. Cover and chill overnight or up to 3-4 days. Before serving, invert onto a plate and remove plastic wrap. Arrange pecan halves on top. Serve with apples or crackers. Don't forget to put out a little appetizer knife, too.

PARTY PATE

Steps:

• 1. Melt 1 cube of butter in large skillet over low heat. Add mushrooms, onions and garlic. Saute for 3-5 minutes, stirring constantly. Push vegetables to the side of the skillet.
• 2. Add chicken livers and cook only until edges turn white; turn at once. Add salt, rosemary, dill weed, and mustard; stir thoroughly. Add Chardonnay, stirring again, and cook until liquid is reduced to half.
• 3. Cut second stick of butter in fourths. Place butter in blender and add remaining ingredients. Blend until smooth. (Alternate a small amount of butter with a small amount of cooked ingredients and blend.) Continue until all ingredients are blended smoothly.
• 4. Refrigerate and let flavors meld 24 hours before serving.
• 5. **NOTE: Wonderful served on slices of french bread together with ice cold champagne as a first course! Also great on tiny slices of party rye bread (my fav), or - as a friend suggested - on Melba toast.

MUSHROOM-BACON PARTY PATE

Steps:

• Fry the bacon and crumble it as fine as possible.
• Reserve some of the grease.
• Chop the mushrooms, onion, celery, and parsley as fine as possible.
• A food processor works best, but you can do it by hand if need be.
• Saute the onion and the celery in the bacon grease until soft, then remove from the grease and drain.
• Meanwhile, beat the cream cheese slightly, and then beat in the eggs.
• Add all other ingredients to the egg/cheese mixture.
• Mix thoroughly.
• Grease a large loaf pan, line with foil, and then grease the foil.
• Pat the mixture into the loaf pan and cover loosely with foil.
• Bake for 1 1/2 hours at 400 degrees F.
• Let cool completely before serving.
• This pate is actually best when refrigerated before serving.
• Serve with crackers or bread slices.