A couple of years ago I made a few Pork Terrines with pistachios, apricots & prunes as part of Christmas Trays for friends we always exchange food gifts with. They were raved about and not hard to do.

Diane's Home Cookin Chapter: Terrine Gifts

Pork Terrine With Pistachios, Apricots And Prunes
=================================================
(1 9"x5" loaf)

from:http://cookingweekends.blogspot.com/2010/08/pork-terrine-with
-pistachios-apricots.html

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, finely chopped (about 1 1/2 cup)
1-1/2 teaspoons fresh thyme, chopped or 1/2 teaspoon dried
1/4 pound chicken livers, trimmed and roughly cut up (optional)
1-3/4 pounds good quality sausage meat
1 large egg
1/3 cup Port or Madiera
2-4 bay leaves
8-10 thin slices of bacon
1/3 cup shelled pistachios
1/2 pound ham, (give or take) cut into strips
about 4-5 dried apricots, cut in half lengthwise
about 4-5 dried prunes, cut in half lengthwise
. Heat the oil in a skillet. Add the garlic and fry for about 1
minute, then add the onion. Saute over low heat until the onion is
a light golden brown; about 10-15 minutes.

Add the thyme and cook another minute, then remove from heat OR if
you are using the chicken livers, then add those too, but cook for
another 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat.

When the onion mixture has cooled a bit, place that into a large
bowl. Add the sausage meat (remove the casings if there are any),
egg and Port or Madiera. Combine everything really well. I find
hands seem to do the job best here.

Preheat the oven to 350° F.

Place 1 or 2 bay leaves on the bottom of a 9" loaf pan and then
line the pan with a single layer of bacon (cut them up as needed),
with some strips hanging over the sides. Add a layer of sausage
meat mixture. Sprinkle a few pistachios over this and then arrange
a few strips of ham over that. Fill everything in with a bit more
sausage meat,

Arrange the prunes and apricots in a row in the middle. Sprinkle a
few more pistachios, then fill everything in again with a bit more
sausage meat.

Sprinkle some pistachios, and arrange a few strips of ham. Fill in
with the sausage mixture. I imagine everything should be used up
at this point, but if it isn't just continue until it is, ending
with a layer of sausage meat.

Cover the top with the bacon which was hanging at the sides. Top
with another bay leaf or two. Place the terrine into a larger
roasting pan and fill with water about halfway up the sides of the
terrine. Cover the top with foil and place into the oven.

Bake for about 2 hours in the water bath or until the juices run
clear when you pierce the meat with a skewer.

Remove from the oven. Weigh down the top with a cutting board and
cans or place a smaller loaf pan on top with something inside as a
weight. Allow to cool, (in it's water bath), then refrigerate.

This can be made ahead a day or two, the flavors seem to improve
as it ages. It will keep about 1 week refrigerated.

Last year those same friends & a couple of family members received a couple of Laura Calder's pates:

Salmon Rillettes
================
YIELD:1
cup/250

1 tablespoon olive oil
6 ounces/170 g salmon, cut into large cubes
1/3 cup/70 g butter, softened
1 tablespoon creme fraiche or thick sour cream
1 tablespoon chopped shallot
1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 lemon, juiced
. Heat the oil in a saute pan and gently cook the salmon, leaving
the pieces slightly pink in the center, about 5 minutes. Cool. In
a food processor or using two forks, shred the salmon and mix with
the butter. Add the creme fraiche, shallot and tarragon. Season
the mixture with salt, pepper and lemon juice. Pack into ramekins
or similar small pots. Keep in the refrigerator, but before
serving, take it out to soften because you want it nice and
smearable.

Blue Cheese And Dried Fruit Terrine
===================================
1 pound/450 g blue cheese, such as Roquefort or gorgonzola, at
room temperature
8 ounces/225 g mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
1 tablespoon honey, optional
Freshly ground pepper
Handful chopped dried apricots
Handful currants
Handful chopped dried figs
Handful chopped green pistachios
Handful chopped toasted walnuts
Rustic country breads or crackers, for serving
. Mash the blue cheese and mascarpone together with the honey, if
using, and pepper. (You can do this in the food processor, too,
but it will cream the blue cheese so much that you get a greenish
terrine. Not the end of the world, but just warning you.) Stir in
the apricots, currants, figs, pistachios and walnuts. Season with
pepper. Wrap in plastic and shape into a terrine. Refrigerate for
several hours until firm. Serve with an assortment of rustic
country breads or crackers and decorate with some whole dried
fruits and nuts, if you like.

photos of those two can be seen at her episode Simple Terrines on The Cooking Channel .I didn't really care for the salmon but the blue cheese was wonderful-- I make it often thru the year.

Diane

Here is a link that might be useful: Terrine

This is one I make every fall.... We like it a lot
Alexa

Autumn Pate with Mushrooms and Hazelnuts

2 lbs ground turkey meat
8 oz pork fatback, diced
12 oz bulk pork sausage
1 med onion minced
5 cloves garlic
3 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
2 tbsp chopped fresh thyme
1 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp salt
2 tsp ground black pepper
1 lb lean pork cut into 2 x 1/3 inch strips
4 oz thinly sliced prosciutto minced
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
¾ cup Calvados or brandy
6 bay leaves
1 lb sliced bacon
3 tbsp unsalted butter
1 lb shitake mushrooms, stems discarded, caps sliced
¾ cup lightly toasted hazelnuts, skins removed, coarsely chopped

1. The day before baking the pate, combine the turkey, fatback, sausage, onion and garlic. Put the mixture through a meat grinder or process in a food processor until well blended.
2. place the mixture in a large mixing bowl and mix in the rosemary, thyme, coriander, salt pepper, pork strips and prosciutto. Beat in the eggs and Calvados to bind. Cover the mixture and let sit overnight in the refrigerator.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
4. Place a row of 3 bay leaves down the center of two 6 ��" 8 cup terrines or loaf pans. Line each with bacon slices arranged crosswise to line both the sides and the bottom. Let the ends of the slices hang over the edges of the pan.
5. Melt the butter in a skillet over med-high heat. Add the mushrooms and sauté, stirring frequently until lightly browned and liquid has evaporated, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat.
6. Layer 1/3 of the pate mixture in the prepared terrines. Top with half the sautéed mushrooms and hazelnuts. Top with another 1/3 of the meat mixture, then the remaining mushrooms and hazelnuts. Make a final layer with the rest of the meat and pack the mixture compactly with your hands or a wooden spoon. Fold the overhanging bacon over the top of each pate.
7. Completely wrap each pan tightly with aluminum foil. Place the pans in a larger baking pan and pour water halfway up the sides of the terrines. Bake the pate 1 ½ hours. Remove from the oven and let cool under a weight (I use another loaf pan with several cans of beans) for at least 2 hours. Chill the pates several hours before unmolding. (It freezes well at this point)

I've made this a few times and it's delicious...I love it in the summer especially. This is not my photo, but it's prettier in real life!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a small bowl, beat the eggs and add the lemon pepper and salt. Dip the chicken breasts into the egg mixture and then in the Parmesan. Dip the artichoke hearts into the egg and then the Parmesan.

Line a large loaf pan with parchment paper, and place a layer of chicken breasts on the bottom of the pan. Cover the chicken with a layer of mortadella, salami, or prosciutto. Cover the ham with artichoke hearts, then with basil leaves, using all of the leaves. Repeat the layers of chicken, ham, and artichoke hearts. Cover with parchment paper or foil. Place a heavy weight on top of the terrine while baking to compress the layers. Place the loaf pan in a larger pan and pour in water to make a water bath. Bake for 1 hour 20 minutes.

Let the terrine cool completely at room temperature, then refrigerate in pan for several hours or overnight.

In a bowl, combine the mayonnaise, garlic, dill weed, and parsley and blend with a spoon. Chill the mayonnaise mixture.

To serve, carefully turn the terrine out of the pan onto a platter and slice 3/4-inch slices. Serve with chilled mayonnaise mixture and buttery crackers. (I add a layer of roasted red pepper in the center and serve as a main dish on lightly dressed salad greens and skipped the mayo). (Paula Deen Recipe)

This is my favourite chicken liver pate recipe. Rich and smooth.

Chicken Liver Pate
This is my favourite Chicken Liver Pate. It is from one of Jacques Pepin's cookbooks. "Everyday cooking With Jacques Pepin"
I usually pour This into two or three small Ramekins and decorate with aspic.

1 pound of chicken livers
2/3 cup thinly sliced onions
1 clove of garlic, peeled and crushed
2 bay leaves crushed
1/4 teaspoon thyme leaves
1 cup chicken broth
2 teaspoons of salt
1-1/2 cups (3 sticks) butter,
Softened
Freshly ground pepper
2 teaspoons Cognac
Optional (for decoration)
1 envelope unflavoured gelatin for
Aspic
A piece of tomato skin and the green
From a green onion

Place the livers, onion, garlic, bay leaves, thyme, broth and 1
teaspoon salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, cover and cook at a bare
simmer for 7 or 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and let the mixture sit
for about 5 minutes.

Take out the solids with a slotted spoon and place them in the bowl of
a food processor with metal blade. (Reserve and strain the liquid to
make the aspic) Start processing the liver, adding the butter piece by
piece. Finally , add the second teaspoon salt, the pepper, and Cognac
and process for 2 minutes so that the mixture is very creamy and
completely smooth. If the mixture looks broken down, with visible fat,
let it cool in the refrigerator for about 1 hour to harden the butter,
and then process again until the mixture is creamy and smooth.

Pour into a mold. Decorate or refrigerate to set and serve.

To make the Aspic:
Combine the strained cup of liquid from the liver and the gelatin in a
saucepan. Stir gently over heat until mixture almost comes to a boil
and the gelatin is completely melted. Place the saucepan on ice, and
stir until the liquid becomes very syrupy. At this stage the aspic is
shiny and glistening, and about to set. This is the right moment to
use it. If it becomes too hard, remelt it and start again.

Take the pate out of the refrigerator, and pour and spread 3 to 4
tablespoons of aspic on top. The layer of aspic should be approximately
1/4 inch thick. The aspic sets the decor, prevents it from drying out,
and gives the effect of a beautiful stained-glass window. To serve,
scoop out about a teaspoonful of pate and place it on each plate with a
bit of aspic and some Melba toast.

The mixture can also be prepared in small souffle molds of about 1/2
cup capacity, each one decorated differently.