Why it works: Flour and sauce are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 18% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 8,078 recipes. Both carry ethanol, which smells alcoholic, ethereal. The science ↓
Liver and Bacon
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Wash the liver in tepid water and dry it.
Cut the liver into slices about ⅓ inch thick.
Cut the bacon into thin slices and remove the rind.
Season the flour with pepper and salt.
Dip the liver slices in the flour.
Cook the liver and bacon
Place the bacon in a frying pan over medium heat and cook until the fat is almost clear, about 5 minutes.
Lift the bacon onto a hot dish and keep warm.
Fry the liver quickly in the hot bacon fat until browned on both sides, about 7 minutes total.
Check the liver for doneness; it should not look red inside.
Place the liver on a dish and top with the bacon.
Make the sauce
Mix the remaining flour with the fat in the frying pan and cook until browned.
Gradually add the stock, bring to a boil, and skim.
Cook for a few minutes, adding more seasoning if necessary.
Stir in the Harvey’s sauce and pour the sauce around the liver.
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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Flour + saucetop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,078 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Flour + peppertop 19% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together50,459 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Liver + peppertop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,375 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Liver + saucetop 23% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together499 recipes
Shared aroma: decanoic acid (soapy, waxy).
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Sauce + peppertop 27% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together15,303 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
Sauce and pepper barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 15,303 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Calf’s liver
- Provides the main meat, which cooks quickly and turns firm when fried.
- Bacon
- Its fat fries the liver and adds salty, smoky flavour to the dish.
- Flour
- Coats the liver for a light browned crust and thickens the pan sauce.
- Stock
- Forms the liquid of the pan sauce, adding savoury depth.
- Harvey’s sauce
- Adds a sharp, savoury tang to the finished sauce.
The step that matters
Frying the liver quickly. Liver is delicate and turns tough and dry if overcooked, so a short, hot fry keeps it tender while browning the outside. Checking that the inside is no longer red confirms it is cooked enough.
“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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