Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume 2 (106 page)

LANGUE DE BOEUF BRAISÉE, CALCUTTA

[Sliced Fresh Beef Tongue Braised with Curry]

French curry sauce does not have the strong, mouth-searing quality of Indian curry; the French version is more a flavor than an experience, because if the curry were strong it would ruin the accompanying wine. You might serve this tongue on a bed of mashed potatoes, rice, or braised spinach, on a purée of peas or lentils, or on the
purée of squash and white beans
. Your own fresh French bread could take the place of a second vegetable. For wines, a red Bordeaux would go nicely, or a rather strong dry white like a Hermitage, from the Rhône valley.

For 6 to 8 people

1)
Preliminaries to braising—2 hours of soaking; 2 hours of boiling

A fully trimmed fresh beef tongue weighing about 4 lbs.

Follow
directions
, to scrub, soak, salt if you wish, and simmer the tongue for 2 hours; peel it.

(*)
AHEAD-OF-TIME NOTE
: This may be done the day before braising.

2)
The braising sauce

2 cups sliced onions

2 Tb butter and ½ Tb cooking oil (more if needed)

A 10- to 12-inch casserole, chicken fryer, or electric skillet

About 2 Tb fragrant curry powder (depending on its strength and your inclinations)

2 Tb flour

Cook the onions slowly in the butter and oil over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 8 to 10 minutes until tender and translucent but not browned. Blend in the curry powder and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Blend in the flour, and a little more butter or oil if flour makes too stiff a paste; cook, stirring, for 2 minutes more. Remove from heat.

2 to 3 cups heated meat stock (a combination of beef stock or bouillon and tongue-cooking stock or chicken broth)

A wire whip

1 cup dry white wine or ⅔ cup dry white French vermouth

2 large cloves garlic, mashed

¼ cup currants (small black seedless raisins)

1 peeled and diced sour cooking apple (or an eating apple and 1 Tb lemon juice)

½ tsp thyme

1 imported bay leaf

Salt and pepper to taste

When casserole contents have stopped bubbling, pour in 2 cups of the hot stock and blend vigorously into the onions, curry, and flour with wire whip. Pour in the wine or vermouth; add the garlic, currants, diced apple, thyme, and bay leaf. Bring to the simmer, stirring, and simmer 2 minutes. Sauce should be lightly thickened. Taste carefully, and correct seasoning.

3)
Braising the tongue—30 to 40 minutes

Cut the peeled tongue into even slices ⅜ inch thick. (Directions for slicing are in
Step 3
, in the Master Recipe for boiled tongue.) Arrange the slices in the casserole, overlapping as necessary, and baste the tongue with the sauce.

(*)
AHEAD-OF-TIME NOTE
: Recipe may be prepared in advance to this point; when cool, cover surface with plastic wrap, a cover, and refrigerate.

Bring to the simmer, cover, and simmer 30 to 40 minutes, tilting casserole and basting tongue several times with the sauce. When tender if pierced with a fork, meat is done, but do not overcook; eat a piece if you have any doubts about its being done.

4)
Serving

A hot, lightly buttered serving platter

Optional: ⅓ to ½ cup
crème fraîche
or heavy cream

Salt, pepper, and drops of lemon juice

1 to 3 Tb soft butter

A hot gravy bowl

If needed: fresh minced parsley

When tongue is done, arrange the hot slices on the platter (or over a bed of vegetables if you wish); cover and keep warm while you finish the sauce. You should have 1½ to 2 cups of sauce thick enough to coat a spoon nicely. Stir in optional cream; boil down if sauce is too thin or, conversely, add a little more stock if it seems too thick. Taste carefully, stirring in more salt, pepper, and drops of lemon juice if you feel them necessary. Just before serving, remove sauce from heat, and swish in the enrichment butter a half tablespoon at a time. Spoon hot sauce over the slices of tongue, and pour rest of sauce into hot serving bowl. (You may strain the sauce; the onions and optional raisins, however, give it an attractive informal look and texture.) Decorate tongue with parsley, if you wish, and serve immediately.

(*)
AHEAD-OF-TIME NOTE
: You may complete the sauce except for the final butter enrichment; return tongue slices to sauce, and baste them with it. Reheat to bubbling hot before serving, but be careful not to overcook the tongue.

VEAL, PORK, AND LAMB TONGUES

Veal, pork, and lamb tongues have the same consistency as beef tongue, and although they do not have quite the same fine flavor you may substitute them for beef tongue in any of the preceding recipes. Braising is particularly recommended, because the braising stock adds the flavor that these tongues lack. Here are notes on each.

VEAL TONGUES

Weights and measures.
These will weigh 6 to 8 ounces on the average, and will be 5 to 6 inches long, although tongues from large carcasses can weigh up to 1¼ pounds. Count on one 6- to 8-ounce tongue per person, or 2 tongues for 3 people.

Preparation for cooking.
Scrub, soak, and, if you wish, salt the tongues exactly as directed for
beef tongue
.

Preliminary boiling, and peeling.
Simmer the tongues for 45 minutes (1 hour for large tongues) in salted water, refresh briefly in cold water, and peel as described for
beef tongue
.