MEDITERRANEAN PATE WITH OLIVES AND PINE NUTS

1/4 cup pine nuts
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/2 pound fresh chicken or turkey livers, trimmed of fat, cut in half
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
2 tablespoons Cognac
1/3 cup pitted imported black olives, chopped
TO SERVE:
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
Crackers or thinly sliced baguette as accompaniment

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Spread the pine nuts on a baking sheet and toast in the oven until golden, about 8 minutes. Set aside to cool. Turn off oven.

Heat a 12-inch saute pan over high heat until hot. Add the butter and garlic. When the butter just begins to brown, add the livers. Stir and toss the livers until they just lose their pink color in the center, about 2 minutes.

Transfer the livers and all pan juices to a food processor. Add the thyme, lemon zest, salt, and pepper and process until completely smooth.

Cut the cream cheese into small pieces, then add the liver mixture. Process until very smooth. Add the Cognac and process again.

Transfer the pat to a bowl. Stir in the olives and toasted pine nuts until evenly combined. Transfer the pat to a serving dish or a 5- to 7-inch tart pan. Press a layer of plastic wrap over the surface. Refrigerate. The pat can be completed to this point up to 5 days before serving.

TO SERVE:
If in a tart pan, remove sides and transfer the pate to a round serving plate. Garnish with the chopped chives. Serve chilled or at room temperature with crackers or baguette slices.

Source: Fast Appetizers by Hugh Carpenter and Teri Sandison