Crostini Toscani: Chicken Liver w/ Balsamic Onions

toscani8

There is no middle ground when it comes to liver.
You either love it, or hate it.

I love it.

My grandmother's recipe is still my favorite, with the fried onions and chopped hard boiled egg. It's reserved for Jewish holidays only (or if our friend Scott comes for dinner).

I always order crostini Toscani when in an Italian enoteca as an appetizer, and always wonder why I never make it at home, so I searched for a good sounding recipe online and chose Anne Burrell's. This is the first recipe I have made from Anne, but not the last.

What makes this crostini THE BOMB is the balsamic onion topping.
I loved these onions and will be using them for other appetizers in the future.

As my grandmother used to say "try it, you'll like it".



Chicken Liver Crostini w/ Balsamico Onions: (adapted from Anne Burrell)

For the Balsamic onions:

Olive oil
2 large onions, sliced
Salt
1 cup balsamic vinegar

For the Chicken Liver Pate:

Olive oil
3 anchovy fillets
2 tablespoons capers
2 cloves garlic, smashed
1 pound chicken livers, cleaned and rinsed
1 cup white wine
1 baguette, cut in to 1/2-inch slices, toasted or grilled



To make the onions: Coat a large saute pan with olive oil and add the onions. Season the onions with salt and bring the pan to a medium-low heat. Cover and sweat the onions for 15 to 20 minutes. Add the balsamic and cook for another 20 minutes or until the balsamic is syrupy. Use right away, or place in airtight jar and store in the refrigerator until ready to use.

To make the chicken liver pate: Coat a large saute pan with olive oil and add the anchovies, capers and garlic. Bring to medium heat and saute until the anchovies have dissolved.

Add the chicken livers, turn up the heat and saute for 5 minutes and cook until the livers are about 1/2 to 3/4 of the way done. Add the wine and cook for 5-10 more minutes or until the wine has reduced by half, the mix should still be pretty soupy.

Transfer everything to a food processor and puree until smooth. One or two pulses, I like mine chunky. Season with a little salt, if needed, and loosen with a little olive oil if needed.

Schmear each toast with the liver and top with balsamic onions.



I prepared this in the a.m. and refrigerated the onions and liver separately, and assembled the toasts an hour before serving.

Enjoy!

Comments

Anonymous said…
I wish I was your husband!! what a lucky guy!
Anonymous said…
Of COURSE you do, Stacey! God bless you and your good digestion. What'd you eat during the Superbowl?
Stacey Snacks said…
Anonymous:
We had smoked trout canapes, stuffed peppers, a Chicken Divan casserole and my friend made an amazing baked custard w/ caramel sauce (oh and a great endive and pear salad)....kind of a strange Super Bowl meal, but it was all delicious!

I will be eating salads for the next few days! Thanks for the kind words!

Stacey
The JR said…
I like watching Chef Anne cook. It looks fantastic. The onions set off the crostini.

Sounds like a great superbowl meal too!
Ciao Chow Linda said…
Put me in the camp of loving chicken livers. Your crostini look so appetizing, and I will be catching up on your other posts since returning from Italy last night.
kat said…
I really need to try this & see if I like it, I like pate so I should like this, right?
StaceyEsq said…
Oh.My.God. I'm sitting at my desk, chomping on a plain garden salad. This post was plain CRUEL! Too bad the next major Jewish holiday is Passover (so much for the crostini at Seder!) but I'll be making this for the Jewish New Year, for sure!
Another winner from the Queen of Crostini! Liver pate with balsamic onions sounds heavenly.
Katie said…
YUM...I haven't ever made chicken liver mousse at home, but it's my fave to order out. I just may have to try this recipe! Thanks!
Let me just say I LOVE YOU!!! I just made your recipe for Caesar dressing...from scratch - it's AMAZING! This WILL be my new go to dressing. Thanks for sharing the recipe...I'm going to have it tonight with beef bourguignon and homemade croutons!
Mmmm! I am definitely drooling right now!!

Sues
Foodiewife said…
You are the one who got me hooked on crostinis. OK, I don't like chicken livers.... but with my terrible cold I could eat them...because my sense of taste is gone! The balsamic got my attention...ya know, I think I'd try them anyway. I've been scarce lately, so I've got some catching up to do!
Well.... I was in the hate it camp until a few weeks ago when I had something very similar to this at Convivio. I'm not sure I'm ready to give up my lifelong hatred of liver just yet, but certainly willing to give this a shot:-)
Count me in as a chicken liver lover. Yours are gorgeous. Cudos to your grandmother.

Lucky Scott to have these served at your house every time he comes over. If I were Scott, I would drop by often.
Sam
Eileen said…
Yes, I love liver too.
Claire said…
Can't wait to try this recipe --thank you for sharing. I love your blog!
Claire
Hi Stacey! i am sorry for making them "secretly" without even saying thank you here - i am doing it now!

ps: i have answered to your comment - i am very pleased that you visited me!

http://kochen-mit-spass.blogspot.com/2010/03/blog-post_6634.html