Recipe: 'The Silence Of The Lambs' Crostini with Fava Bean and Chicken Liver Mousses

The Silence Of The Lambs Crostini with Fava Bean and Chicken Liver Mousses

Makes 16 to 20 crostini

1 baguette

Fava Bean Mousse (recipe follows)

Chicken Liver Mousse (recipe follows)

Olive oil and/or port, for drizzling (optional)

Slice the baguette about 1 inch thick and toast the slices in a toaster oven or under a broiler. Top the crostini with dollops of fava bean mousse and/or cooled chicken liver mousse. Drizzle with olive oil or port if desired.

FAVA BEAN MOUSSE

Makes about 1 ½ cups

1 ½ pounds fresh fava beans

½ cup olive oil

⅓ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Juice of ½ a lemon

1 tablespoon grated fresh lemon zest

1 garlic clove, minced

½ teaspoon kosher salt

Shell the fava beans from the pods and set them aside; you should have about 1 cup.

Bring a medium pot of water to a boil over high heat and prepare an ice bath (a large bowl of ice cubes and cold water). Boil the favas until they are tender and the outer skins begin to shed, 5 to 7 minutes.

Drain and immediately place them in the ice bath (this stops them from continuing to cook and preserves their beautiful color).

Peel the outer membranes off the fava beans and discard them. Place the blanched and peeled favas and the rest of the ingredients in a blender and blend until very smooth.

CHICKEN LIVER MOUSSE

Makes about 3 cups

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 tablespoons rendered chicken fat (or more unsalted butter)

2 small yellow onions, sliced

2 thyme sprigs

1 teaspoon black peppercorns

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 piece star anise

½ bay leaf

1 pound chicken livers

⅛ teaspoon pink curing salt (optional)

⅓ cup ruby port

1 cup cream cheese, at room temperature

2 tablespoons sherry vinegar

1 tablespoon sugar

Kosher salt

Heat 1 tablespoon of the butter and 1 tablespoon of the chicken fat in a heavy-

Bottomed pot over medium heat. Add the onions and thyme and cook until the onions are golden brown.

Combine the peppercorns, cinnamon, star anise, and bay leaf in a spice grinder and pulse until finely ground (the cinnamon should already be ground, but adding it to the grinder helps the ingredients move around and get ground up). Add the spices to the onions and continue to cook until the onions are soft and caramelized.

Meanwhile, clean the chicken livers of any white or greenish fibers. (These fibers are safe to eat, but removing them will improve the texture of the finished mousse.)

Once the onions have cooked down, add the remaining tablespoon each of butter and chicken fat and raise the heat to medium-high. Add the livers and pink salt (if using — it will keep the livers from turning gray) and cook, stirring and tossing constantly, until they are firm to the touch but still rosy, 5 to 7 minutes. The internal temperature should be 165°F. (Generally, overcooking liver leads to an unappealing grainy texture, but the cream cheese and the blending/passing through a sieve will help hide all manner of overcooking sins, which makes this process much less stressful.)

Discard the thyme sprigs and transfer the cooked livers and onions to a bowl. Deglaze the pan with the port and allow it to cook down for about 1 minute. Pour the reduced port over the livers and add the cream cheese. In batches, blend the livers and cream cheese in a high-powered blender until very smooth. Pass the pureed liver mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl. Add the sherry vinegar, sugar, and salt to taste. Keep in mind that the flavor will change as the mousse cools, so add a little more salt than you think tastes right. Also feel free to add more sherry vinegar, sugar, and/or pepper.

Divide the mousse among three 8‑ounce jars and top with a thin layer of rendered chicken fat (or olive oil) before placing the lids on. (This helps keep the liver fresh.) The mousse will keep for up to 10 days in the refrigerator.

VORACIOUS recipes courtesy Little, Brown and Company
Copyright ©2015 by Cara Nicoletti