Chopped liver with cherry mostarda and crostini

Method

1. Fill a saucepan with water and bring to the boil. Gently add the eggs and boil for 9 minutes, then drain and refresh in cold water. Peel the eggs and set aside to cool completely.
2. Heat half the oil in a heavy-based frying pan over high heat. Add the livers and fry for 6 minutes, or until they are browned on both sides and just pink in the middle. Transfer the livers to a plate and leave to cool.
3. Heat the remaining oil in the frying pan over medium heat. Add the onions and sauté until just coloured. Reduce the heat to low and season with salt and pepper. Continue to cook the onions until sticky and translucent, about 30 minutes.
4. Pass the peeled eggs and livers through a mincer and transfer to a mixing bowl. If you do not have a mincer, you can use a food processor to pulse the eggs and livers to a coarse consistency, but be careful not to overblend to a paste.
5. Finely chop the cooked onions and add to the egg and liver mixture. Season to taste with salt, and add a little extra oil if the mixture is too dry. Mix well.
6. To make the mostarda, combine all the ingredients, except the mustard, in a small heavy-based saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, then reduce the heat to low and cook until reduced to a thick purée (the consistency of tomato sauce or ketchup). This should take about 1 hour.
7. Take the saucepan off the heat, stir in the mustard and check the seasoning.
8. If you prefer a smoother texture, pulse the mostarda in a food processor.
9. Preheat the to 170°C (340°F).
10. To make the crostini, trim all the crust off the loaf of bread until you have a rectangle approximately 4 × 8 × 20 cm (1½ × 3¼ × 8 in).
11. With a short 4 cm (1½ in) end facing you, cut long, thin slices, about 5 mm (¼ in) thick. You should get about 15 slices in total.
12. Line two baking trays with baking paper and arrange the bread slices on the tray as close to each other as possible. Drizzle the oil over the bread and sprinkle with the sea salt.
13. Bake for 20 minutes, then transfer the crostini to a wire rack to cool completely.
14. To serve, pile the chopped liver mixture on a platter and serve with crostini and a bowl of mostarda on the side.