New Year's Party Recipe: Avocado Pate

Rhino Bar & Pumphouse on M Street knows how to deliver crowd-pleasing eats and drinks. For the holidays, they have shared a recipe for a staff and guest favorite: Avocado Pate.

"It was a party favorite at Spirit of Georgetown benefitting Georgetown Ministries in 2010," according to Janine K. Schoonover, CEO of JSW Group, which owns Rhino Bar.

If you are looking for a recipe for your New Year's Eve or Day gathering, this might just fit the bill.

Avocado Pate - appetizer

Serves 10 - 12 and can be quadrupled easily to serve a much larger party.

Ingredients

• 4 Ripe avocados, pitted & peeled
• 2 8 oz. packages of cream cheese (may substitute with lowfat, but not fat free); room temperature
• 2 tbs. minced shallots or minced green onions
• 1 tbs. fresh lemon juice or lime juice, such as Aunt Nellie's Key Lime Juice
• Optional: 1 tbs. of tequila
• 2 tsp. minced garlic
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• 1/2 tsp. ground kosher or sea salt
• *1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 tbs. of chopped unsalted nuts - good options include pistachio, pumpkin, hazlenuts, brazil, pine or cashew (may also skip if you don't have any nuts in the pantry)
• 10 - 12 grape or cherry tomatoes halved or quartered
• 2 tbs. of minced green onion or minced purple onion
• Tortila chips (preference: tri-colored red, white & blue chips)

Directions

Line a 6 cup glass loaf pan or glass rectangle pan with wax paper with extra 5" - 6" over the sides.

Spray wax paper with olive oil spray or canola oil spray.

Puree avocados and cream cheese in food processor.  Add shallots, lemon or lime juice, chili powder, garlic, salt, and tequila; blend 30 - 45 seconds.  

Place mixture into prepared dish.  Gently shake the pan to even out the mixture and use spatula to smooth out. Bring excess wax paper over top and cover pate.

Refrigerate for 4 or more hours; overnight is best.

Mix cilantro, chopped nuts, minced onion, and quartered grape or cherry tomatoes.  *Note: You may also substitute with a salsa fresca or fire roasted salsa; drain excess liquid so it's more chunky.

Place pate onto center of platter; garnish with mixture; place tortilla chips around pate and serve. 

Related Content:

Rhino Bar Mac & Cheese

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