SAUTEED CALF'S LIVER with Slab Bacon, Applejack Brandy, and Green Onions
This has been a favorite dish with my customers over the years. In a way, it is liver with bacon and onions, but its presentation and flavor are special and thoroughly different. One thing that is essential is that the liver be very fresh and truly from a young calf. In addition, the liver must be cooked rather quickly and served no more than medium-rare or its delicate qualities are gone.
Serves 4 to 6
Ч2 pound slab bacon, rind removed, cut into sections % inch long and % inch thick lfc cup flour IV2 to 2 pounds calf's liver, cleaned and cut into slices about % inch thick Salt and pepper to taste Щ cup olive oil or oil from Roast Garlic (page 200)
4 scallions, half of the green part and all of the root removed, and remainder cut into julienne pieces, lengthwise
3 tablespoons applejack or calvados brandy
1 cup Brown Sauce (page 248) 1 tablespoon butter
1. Cook the bacon until just barely done and reserve it and the bacon fat.
2. Lightly flour the liver and season it with salt and pepper.
3. Heat a skillet and add just enough oil to coat the pan (use some of the bacon fat for flavor). Lay the liver in the pan, saute 1 or 2 minutes on each side over medium-high heat, and remove to warm plates.
1. (recipe continues)
4. Discard the excess oil and add the scallions and bacon. Now add the applejack and deglaze. Reduce to a glaze. Add the prepared brown sauce and cook a moment. Add the butter in small pinches and swirl it in the pan.
5. Pour sauce over the liver, arranging the scallions and bacon over the meat. Serve at once.
One of the many California Pinot Noirs bursting with ripe fruit would be a good choice here. An interesting alternative would be an Australian Shiraz.
OASTED CALF'S LIVER with Madeira, Country Ham, and Sweet Melon
Roasting an entire liver seems to intimidate people who think nothing of roasting a prime rib. It is not difficult, just not typical. This recipe calls for marinating the melon with Madeira overnight. This delicious step is not only good with liver-it's good all by itself.
Serves 6 to 8
1 whole honey dew or cantaloupe melon About 12/з cups (% bottle) Madeira wine A 4- to 5-pound fresh calf's liver, cleaned, roiled, and tied
8 to 10 ounces ham fat (or bacon), sliced, for wrapping liver
4 shallots, peeled and thinly sliced
Ч4 cup balsamic vinegar 3 cups Veal Stock (page 243) Cracked black pepper Ч4 pound (1 stick) butter, cut into pieces
and chilled % pound Smithfield ham, rind removed,
sliced very thin and diced medium
1. 1. Cut a round "plug" out of the melon. Scrape and shake out the seeds. Pour the Madeira into the hole and replace the plug. Chill overnight.
2. 2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Set liver on a rack in a roasting pan and arrange ham fat or raw bacon under the strings so that the liver will be protected from direct heat and the fat win baste the meat while it roasts.
3. 3. Remove the plug from the melon and pour the Madeira into a container; reserve. Peel and slice the melon. Cut the slices into a medium dice and put into a bowl. Pour a small amount of the Madeira over the melon and set aside in a cool spot.
4. 4. Put the liver in the oven and roast for 35 to 45 minutes, or until internal temperature is about 120 degrees. Remove the liver, cut off the strings, and discard the fat or bacon. (Bacon may be reserved for later use.) Pour any collected juices into a clean bowl. Allow liver to rest in a warm place while making the sauce. (The liver will cook a bit more as it rests.)
5. 5. Put shallots and balsamic vinegar in a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat. Reduce by three-quarters, add the reserved Madeira, and reduce to about XA cup. Add the reserved liver juices and veal stock and reduce to 1 xh cups. Reduce the heat to a low simmer. Adjust seasoning.
6. 6. SUce the liver into sUces at least XA inch thick and arrange on plates.
7. 7. Whisk the butter into the sauce, continue whisking until it is all incorporated, and pour sauce over the meat. Scatter the diced ham and melon over the liver. Serve, offering the pepper mill.
8. Note: There is no salt called for in this recipe. You'll get all you need from the Smithfield ham. The rich qualities of many California Merlots would be particularly suitable here.