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Bacon and Calf's Liver
The most economical way to prepare this is to fry the bacon first and make the fat serve for the liver, which, as well as the bacon, should be cut into thin slices. Fry the bacon, and remove it as soon as it is done enough to a hot dish before the fire; flour and pepper the liver, and place it in the pan; turn frequently until done, then place a slice of bacon on each slice of liver. Make a gravy by pouring off the fat and dredging a little flour into the pan; pour in enough water to supply the quantity of gravy desired, add a tablespoonful of lemon juice, boil, and pour upon the dish. Garnish with force-meat or slices of lemon. Time, from five to ten minutes.
A one-pan supper that lives or dies on timing: calf's liver is done the moment the pink stops weeping from the surface, and the five to ten minutes given here is the outer limit, not a target.
- Slice thickness"Thin slices" for liver means about 1/4 inch. Cut thicker and the outside is grey before the centre warms through; cut on a slight bias and pull off any silverskin, which curls the slices in the pan.
- The hinge: do not cook it throughCalf's liver wants roughly 90 seconds to 2 minutes a side over medium-high heat if you want it to stay faintly rosy inside. "Turn frequently until done" leaves the end point to the cook; taken far past that point liver turns granular and livery.
- Bacon fat quantityDepending on the cure, modern bacon may render less fat than the fatter bacon of the period. If the pan looks dry after the bacon comes out, add a knob of butter or a spoonful of oil rather than starting the liver in a bare pan.
- "A hot dish before the fire"That is a warming spot, not a cooking one. A plate in a 200F oven, or covered loosely with foil on the back of the stove, holds the bacon without crisping it further.
- The gravyPour off all but a tablespoon of fat, dredge in about a tablespoon of flour, cook it a minute to lose the raw taste, then whisk in roughly a cup of water or stock. Water was what the recipe calls for; stock makes a better sauce. The recipe adds the tablespoon of lemon juice and boils it; if you prefer a fresher acidity, add it at the end instead.
- Flouring the liverSeason and flour the slices just before they go in the pan. Flour left sitting on liver draws out moisture and turns to paste, and the slices will not brown.
- Force-meat garnishThis means small seasoned forcemeat balls, usually breadcrumb-and-suet or sausage meat, fried separately. Sliced lemon is the simpler option and cuts the richness just as well.
- YieldFigure 4 to 6 oz of liver and two rashers per person; the quantities are left to the cook. A pound of liver and half a pound of bacon serves three or four.