First off, don’t worry, there are no shocking  gruesome pictures of whole raw lamb tongues on this post…

OK, if you are new to this blog , then you are finding out I’m adventurous and pretty fearless in the kitchen. Here is a little back-story on how I came to the post. A few months ago Certain Someone and I were at  Russian Banquet and we were served the most exquisite thinly sliced pieces of beef tongue.  I asked what it was, and the waiter announced tongue with a smirk that assumed the non Russians would be disgusted . Au Contraire.While I haven’t had tongue in ages I do remember my mother going through a phase and feeding me it as a kid. I loved it! Then suddenly it stopped (I have no idea why). Perhaps I finally realized what I was eating? Who knows. She used to serve me chitterlings too, until I formed my own mind and remember declaring I wouldn’t eat those any more. Certain Someone blanched a bit at the thought he just ate tongue but admitted it was good,but the thought of what it was disturbed him. Anyway flash forward to this past week. I don’t know how, but my Iraqi co-worker and I on the discussion of Halal meat and that segued into lamb tongues. I was curious. I loved lamb , so why not revisit the tongue? Adventurous culinary types are dining on it in some very popular eateries. So I hightailed it to the Indo Pak corridor of Devon  where Halal butchers are everywhere you look. For $3.99 a lb I racked up about 6-7  lamb tongues. I do admit the site of them raw made a bit queasy. But I persevered on my mission. I decided to go French style with a aspic based a terrine, I’m fascinated by pates and terrines and have always had the perfect aspic on my culinary to do list.

So how was it you ask ? The tongue was very good, tender and flavored as I braised it for hours in a stock consisting of beer, carrots, herbs , and beef marrow bones. What I loved most was the flavor of my stock which later turned into a prefect aspic. So what was I disappointed with? I wasn’t happy with the final presentation on my terrine. The aspic seeped through the cling wrap layers and I didn’t get the smooth surfaces I envisioned. But that’s easily remedied. What I’m most proud of is my crystal clear aspic. I used one of my favorite bargain basement cookbooks as a guide for the aspic Brockhampton Terrines and Pates . My next terrine will have more meat . I really do feel aspic is underrated these days and can envision a lot of great uses for it . Plus it makes a gorgeous presentation.

Lamb Tongue Terrine in Aspic

 

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Prep time

16 hours

Cook time

2 hours

Total time

18 hours

 

beer braised lamb tongues in aspic

Author: coco cooks

Recipe type: entree

Ingredients

• 2 lbs lamb tongue
• 3 beef marrow bones
• 8 cups water
• 1 bottle of beer
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
• 1 teaspoon allspice berries
• 2 bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon celery seeds
• 2 carrots , chopped
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 1½ oz powdered gelatin
• 2 egg whites
• 2 washed shells of eggs
• 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar

Instructions

1. In a large stock pot add the lamb tongues and cover with water only.
2. Bring to a boil until a foam appears, and drain and change water.Adding another 8 cups cold water.
3. Add beef marrow bones, water, beer, bay leafs, carrots, celery seeds,garlic, salt and peppercorns to the pot with the lamb tongues.
4. Bring to a boil again.
5. Reduce heat and simmer for 2 hours.
6. Remove the lamb tongues and bones.
7. Discard the bones and let the tongues cool down. Store in fridge for overnight or several hours.
8. With the stock strain off the vegetables and stock with a wire sieve. Refrigerate the stock as well overnight. You want the stock to chill and the fats to rise to the top and congeal.
9. Remove the fat from the stock and gently reheat if needed ( if not congealed) and strain the stock through a fine doubled cheese cloth to catch any particles. etc
10. Set aside.
11. Peel the thick outer layer of skin off the cold tongues with a paring knives. You should have a fine tender meat. Slice into pieces and set aside.
12. For the aspic...
13. In a large stock pan, boil and scald cheese cloth, whisk, and metal sieve.
14. Drain hot water and keep equipment ready.
15. Soften gelatin for several minutes.
16. Using a double boiler add the softened gelatin and gently dissolve some more liquified but not boiling. Remove from heat.
17. Place the cold stock in the stock pan .
18. Add the egg whites, shells, vinegar and gelatin ( the clarification ingredients).
19. Whisk together and bring to a boil.
20. The egg whites will rise to the top of the stock as the ingredients boil forming a raft. Stop whisking and let continue to boil for a minute.
21. Remove from heat and let the raft and stock sit undisturbed.
22. Bring to a boil again, remove from heat and let settle for a few minutes again.
23. All the impurities will cling to the raft and a crystal clear stock will be formed.
24. Gently strain the stock with the raft in a double cheesecloth lined sieve without disturbing the raft much.
25. Line a terrine loaf pan with plastic wrap.
26. Layer the cooked lambs tongue.
27. Gently pour the aspic into the terrine.
28. Cover and let set for several hours.
29. Remove and unwrap from terrine.
30. Slice with a serrated knife and serve cold.

Notes

You will need fine cheese cloth, a metal sieve, loaf pan, or terrine pan.

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