When Katherine Alford first tasted rich, moist country pâté, she immediately classified it as a luxury food–expensive to buy and difficult to make. She was right about the first point but, she says, decidedly wrong about the second. Still later she learned that, fancy French name notwithstanding, pâté is really a refined form of meatloaf–a simple mixture of seasoned ground meat gently baked in a terrine mold. When she learned that pâté is better when made a few days ahead, she was completely converted. She now serves it frequently, both as an elegant first course and as a simple supper with lentils and a green salad.