“Do you have to, do you have to, do you have to let it lengua?” (Linger by the Cranberries)  You’ll understand at the end…

“Langue de boeuf” is what the Chef cooked tonight…for the first time ever.  That would be beef tongue in English.  It sounds so more gourmet, and delicious when pronounced in French.  There’s an added finesse to it 😉

The Chef adapted his version from the recipe “langue de boeuf sauce madère“– French Feasts: 299 Traditional Recipes for Family & Gatherings by Stéphane Reynaud.  You see, the Chef is all about cooking every single part of the animal that’s edible. His favorite dish when in France– tête de veau, you’ll have to look it up because I can’t describe it.  I’m an on-the-fence-vegan/vegetarian as of right now…it must be my new found passion of Orca welfare or just animal welfare in general.

My culinary choices don’t hinder the Chef though.  Rather, I urge him to explore his culinary aspirations.  It was either langue de boeuf or guacamole and birdseed crackers pour moi.  Also, I took comfort in knowing this langue came from a happy bovine which was raised humanely and organically not too many miles north of us.  Only sweet Texas grasses passed over it’s tongue. We’re also practicing our  “dinner menu” for the future BnB we’ll operate one day.  So here it is…you be the judge…on or off the menu?

Langue de boeuf avec sauce au vin blanc:  (beef tongue with white win sauce served over a creamy cauliflower purée)

langue de boeuf, creamy white wine sauce, capers, tarragon and sliced cornichons

a table set for deux

So there you have it…langue de beouf!

Recipe:

organic beef tongue (rinsed well)

boiled for 3 hours in a vegetable stock (stock also included fresh rosemary, thyme, sage and celery)

white wine sauce:  

One tbsp. butter melted, one tbsp. finely chopped shallots- sweated in a sauce pan.  Add one tbsp. flour and cook for 3-5 min.  Deglaze the pan with a half cup of wine, scraping up the bits on the bottom.  Allow it to reduce by half, then add a ladle of cooking stock.  Pour in two tbsp. cream, and simmer until the sauce coats the back of a spoon, and season with salt/pepper.  Finish the sauce by adding thinly sliced cornichons and capers (as many as you like).  Cover the tongue slices with this sauce and sprinkle with fresh tarragon leaves.

cauliflower purée

Organic cauliflower florets (one head) cooked in salted water until very tender, then drained.  Bring back to stove, add two tbsp cream and blend with hand mixer or emulsifier mixer.

So do you understand? Lengua, linger..get it? This was the Chef’s corny idea.  Sorry 🙂