Liver a l'Orange
This is my version of a marvelous specialty created by Chef Tom Cowman, who came to town to open the kitchen at the fabled Jonathan restaurant, and later was everybody's favorite chef at the Upperline. The sauce is along the lines of the one in duck a l'orange, but it goes perfectly with liver. This is a dish for you if you never liked liver before. It may turn you around. If there is a trick to making this unforgettable, it's in buying baby veal liver, as opposed to calf's liver or beef liver. What tenderness! And the flavor of the orange glaze is perfect with the liver.
- Juice of one large orange, strained
- 1/4 cup Cointreau or Grand Marnier
- 3 Tbs. orange marmalade
- 1/4 cup chopped sweet onion
- 1/4 cup dry white wine
- 1/8 tsp. dried marjoram
- 8 slices bacon
- 2 Tbs. butter
- 1 cup flour
- 1 Tbs. salt
- 1 tsp. salt-free Creole seasoning
- 1 1/2 lbs. (approx.) veal liver
- Eight half-moon slices of orange, about 1/4 inch thick
Preheat the broiler to 500 degrees.
1. Combine the orange juice, Cointreau, marmalade, wine, and marjoram in a small saucepan and cook, stirring, until well blended and thick enough to coat a spoon. Lower the heat to just barely on.
2. In a skillet over medium heat, fry the bacon until crisp. Allow to cool, then break into small pieces (but not quite crumbled). Pour off the excess bacon fat, but don't wipe the pan.
3. Combine the flour, salt, and Creole seasoning with a fork in a wide bowl.
4. Slice the liver in wide slices about 1/4 inch thick. Pass through the seasoned flour.
5. Melt the butter in the same skillet you fried the bacon in, over medium-high heat. When it begins bubbling, sauté the liver for about two minutes on each side, leaving some pink in the center.
6. Remove the liver to a metal baking pan. Spoon sauce over each slice. Arrange the orange slices between the liver. Run under the broiler for about a minute, until the sauce starts bubbling.
7. With a spatula, transfer the liver and the orange slices to serving plates. Add a little sauce around the side.
Serves four.
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