Beef Tongue in Madeira Sauce

My first foray into "offal" cooking was a success and with tripe and beef heart still in the freezer I'm expecting quite a few more successful ventures.  If ever in doubt about good old fashioned cooking never venture far from classic French cuisine.  My husband just bought me Stephane Reynaud's French Feast cookbook and it has everything in it.  This recipe is his only recipe for tongue but after tasting it, who needs another one?

 

Serves:  6

Ingredient:

  - 1 Beef Tongue

  - 1 Bouquet Garni - tied bunch of thyme, rosemary and bay leaves

  - 3 Carrots

  - 3 Onions

  - 3 Celery Stalks

  - 2 Shallots

  - 1/2 c White Wine

  - 1/2 c Madeira Wine

  - 3/4 c Heavy Cream

  - 1 pinch of Flour (more if you want your sauce a little thicker, which I think I might next time)

  - 12 Cornichons (sour french gherkin sized pickles)

  - 1 tbsp Capers

  - 1 bunch Tarragon

  - Olive Oil

  Peel the carrots and onions and slice them thinly.  Drop the tongue in a large saucepan filled with water, bring to a boil and cook for 5 minutes.  Rinse the meat, disposing of the water, and repeat the process but adding in the carrots, onions, bouquet garni and celery.  Cook for 3 hours or until the meat is very tender. (3 hours was plenty at a heavy simmer)

   Once the tongue is cooked, remove the skin (I used my heavy dishwashing gloves to do this since the meat is very hot and slippery).  Thinly slice the skin (if the joining muscle is still connected to the tongue just cut it off at this time, it is mostly fat and cartiledge).  Place the sliced tongue back in the stock to keep it warm.

 

  Peel the shallots and chop them finely.  Saute in olive oil, add flour, and deglaze the pan with the white wine, scraping up the brown bits on the bottom.  Allow the liquid to reduce by half and add a ladle of the cooking stock, then the madeira and cream.  Allow to barely simmer until the sauce coats the back of a spoon or desired consistency, add salt and pepper to taste.

  Julienne the cornichons and add them to the sauce with the capers.  Cover the tongue slices with this sauce and sprinkle with tarragon leaves.  Enjoy with a nice green salad and vinaigrette and a starchy side like sauteed corn or mashed potatoes!