Sauteed calf's liver with honey raspberry vinegar

"Ahh the good old days! I remember this dish for so many reasons, but mainly for the amazing culinary lessons I learnt in the 80’s in Australia. Traveling to London in ’82, the chefs there did not realise the level of skill in Australia in those days. In fact, some of the kitchens I worked in in London were less skilled then the ones I was lucky enough to work in in Sydney. The combination of butter, honey, raspberry vinegar and jus just takes me back to those days." Peter Kuruvita, Peter Kuruvita's Coastal Kitchen

• serves

  4

• prep

  15 minutes

• cook

  5 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 200 g trimmed calf’s liver (see Note)
• 100 g butter
• 2 tbsp honey
• 50 ml raspberry vinegar
• 200 ml beef or veal jus
• 5 sprigs parsley, leaves picked and shredded
• 1 Granny Smith apple, cut into small wedges and placed in a bowl of cold water
• 1 tbsp finely chopped chives

Instructions

To prepare the liver, peel off the skin. Using a large sharp knife, thinly slice the liver across the grain, cutting out any vessels and gristle as you come across them.

Heat 80 g butter in a large heavy-based frying pan over high heat. As soon as the butter stops sizzling, add the liver, season to taste and cook for 30 seconds or just until golden both sides but still pink on the inside. Remove from the pan and set aside. Add the honey to the hot pan and stir over medium heat until melted, then add the vinegar and stir to remove any cooked on pieces off the base of the pan. Add the beef jus and the remaining butter and bring to a simmer. Return the liver back to the pan, sprinkle with parsley and remove from the heat.

To serve, place the apple slices around the outside of each plate, then spoon the liver and sauce into the centre. Sprinkle with chives and serve immediately.

Note

• Make sure you ask specifically for a calf’s liver. If not you will get one the size of a small suitcase. Make sure you remove the silver skin prior to slicing and slice it thinly, cook it for just a few seconds on each side or it will become tough and rubbery.

Photography by Dan Freene.  Food preparation by Peter Kuruvita/Cody Fahey.

Peter Kuruvita's Coastal Kitchen airs Thursdays at 8.30pm on SBS. Visit the program page for more details, recipes and guides.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.