Erica De Mane

Anouk Aimée takes a break from the high life.

Recipe:

Chicken Liver Crostini with Fennel and Celery Salad

I’ve often found that an old photo, something a friend is wearing, or even a hangover can inspire a desire for a particular flavor, I suppose by triggering off a freewheeling association from my past where that flavor played a part. Somehow this photo of Anouk Aimée in La Dolce Vita, with her pensive demeanor and oh-so-skinny silhouette, inspired this salad based on the classic Tuscan chicken liver pâté, a stern little dish but one with deep, unusual flavors such as capers, anchovies, and sage.

I remember mixing up batches of this about a dozen years ago when I cooked at Le Madri, a Tuscan restaurant in Manhattan. I also recall at that time going through one of my recurring infatuations with Fellini, Antonioni, and De Sica, focusing especially on the women and trying to determine what lay beneath all their elusive tensions and black pumps. I guess I view this dish as something elegant but with perceived depth of character, just like the woman in the photo.

In keeping with this sleek little mood, I’ve matched crostini with a salad, but it’s a salad with something going on, using two underestimated vegetables, Florence fennel and celery. The celery leaves and the fennel fronds are what give the salad deep flavor.

Chicken Liver Crostini with Fennel and Celery Salad

(Serves 4 as a lunch or light supper)

For the crostini:

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/2 pound chicken livers, trimmed
1 small shallot, thinly sliced
1 small garlic clove, thinly sliced
Salt
Black pepper
A splash of cognac
A splash of sweet Marsala
A palmful of capers
2 anchovy fillets, chopped
4 sage leaves, chopped
1 baguette, cut into thin rounds (you’ll need 12 slices)

For the salad:

1 small head frisée lettuce, torn into small pieces
1 small shallot, thinly sliced
1/2 a fennel bulb, thinly sliced, plus a small handful of fronds, lightly chopped
3 inner celery stalks, thinly sliced, plus the leaves, lightly chopped
1 teaspoon Spanish sherry vinegar
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Salt
Black pepper
A palmful of capers for garnish

To make the crostini:

In a medium skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Dry the livers well, and place them in the hot skillet. Sear them on one side, and then give them a flip. Add the shallot and garlic, and season with salt and black pepper. When the livers are browned on the second side, add the cognac and let it burn off, watching out for the flame. Add the Marsala, and let that bubble away. Add the capers and anchovies, and give everything a good stir. By now the livers should be cooked to a perfect pinkness. Turn off the heat, and let them sit in the skillet for about a minute. Transfer the livers with all the skillet juices to a food processor. Add the sage, and pulse until you have a fairly smooth paste. Transfer to a bowl, and taste for seasoning, adding more salt or black pepper if needed. Press a piece of plastic wrap over the paste to prevent it from darkening. You can make this a day ahead and refrigerate it, but make sure to return it to room temperature before serving.

To make the salad:

Place the frisée, shallot, fennel, and celery, along with the fronds and leaves, in a salad bowl. Whisk the vinegar, mustard, and olive oil together, and season with salt and black pepper. Pour this over the salad, and toss. Divide the salad up onto four plates.

To serve:

Toast the baguette slices on both sides and spoon a generous amount of the chicken liver paste on each one. Place three crostini around each salad and garnish with the capers. Serve right away.