Chicken Liver Crostini with sunchoke, wine mustard, and herb salad

Serves 6-8 | Prep Time 45 min. | Cook Time 30-45 min.
This dish goes perfectly with our Ellie’s Cabernet Sauvignon

INGREDIENTS:
1 lb. chicken livers, cleaned
2 ea. shallots, minced
2 T. butter
¼ c. cognac, or brandy
1/3 c. heavy cream
½ bu. fresh thyme
1 cinammon stick
6 allspice berries
½ T. whole cloves
4 T. butter, melted, and clarified
Salt and pepper, to taste
Sherry vinegar, to taste
4 oz. sunchokes, cleaned and sliced ¼ in thick
1 t. olive oil                
¼ c. mixed parsley leaves, chives, chervil, tarragon leaves
2 T. yellow mustard seed            
2 T. brown mustard seed
½ c. red wine
1 t. sherry vinegar

DIRECTIONS:

1. Over low heat, steep thyme, cinnamon, cloves and allspice in heavy cream.  Gently simmer for 5 minutes.  Do not reduce.  Strain.
2. Over medium heat, sweat shallots in 2 T. butter until translucent.  Add livers and gently cook until pink in the middle, approximately 5-7 minutes.  Add to blender.
3. Puree chicken livers with strained cream, until smooth.  Season with salt and pepper and sherry vinegar.   Pour mousse into jars evenly and top with clarified butter.  Chill for 6-8 hours.  
4. To make wine mustard, bring wine to a boil and pour over mustard seeds.  Plump mustard seeds overnight and transfer to a food processor or blender.  Puree with sherry vinegar, keeping some of the mustard seeds whole.
5. To roast sunchokes, toss sliced sunchokes in olive oil and salt and pepper.  Roasted in a 400˚ oven on a sheet tray until slightly caramelized.   When cooled, finely dice sunchokes and toss with herbs.   
6. To serve, spoon mousse onto a toasted crostini, top with wine mustard, sunchoke and herb salad.