Why it works: Liver and ham work together. They rank in the top 17% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 298 recipes. Both carry 4-ethyl-2-methoxyphenol, which smells smoky, clove. The science ↓
Calfs Liver and Bacon
Ingredients
Directions
Fry the bacon until crispy.
Add the liver to the pan and fry until it is a nice light brown, being careful not to overcook.
Arrange the liver and bacon neatly on a dish.
Serve with Fine Herbs Sauce poured over the top.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
The flavor team
The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.
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Liver + hamtop 17% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together298 recipes
Shared aroma: 4-ethyl-2-methoxyphenol (smoky, clove).
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Ham + saucetop 22% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together1,314 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Liver + saucetop 23% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together499 recipes
Shared aroma: decanoic acid (soapy, waxy).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Calf's liver
- Forms the main body of the dish; frying briefly keeps it tender and light brown.
- Bacon
- Adds salty, savoury fat and crisp texture that contrasts with the liver.
- Fine herbs sauce
- Adds moisture and herb flavour when poured over the finished liver and bacon.
The step that matters
Frying the liver. Liver is lean and cooks quickly; overcooking makes it dry and grainy. Frying only until light brown keeps it tender and juicy inside.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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