Braised Tongue Salad

Braised Tongue

• 1 beef tongue
• 2 T bacon fat or vegetable oil
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3/4 c white wine
• 4 sprigs parsley
• 1 t fresh thyme leaves
• 2 bay leaves
• salt and pepper

1. Boil tongue 20 minutes, then put in cold water to cool. Drain and cut off outer white layer.
2. Preheat oven to 325.
3. Cook onions and carrots in bacon fat until lightly brown. Add tongue and cook 20 minutes, until browned. Deglaze with wine and add herbs, salt and pepper, and cook for 5 minutes.
4. Add water to nearly cover, and braise in the oven, covered, turning every 30 minutes, for 3 hours or until done (a toothpick pierces the meat easily). Remove and let cool covered to keep from drying out.
5. Strain broth into a degreaser and reserve for another use (including one below)

Salad

• Parmesan cheese, grated
• 2 bosc pears
• 2 T minced shallot
• 1/4 c sherry vinegar
• salt and pepper
• 2 T mustard seeds
• 3/4 c oil
• 2 T reserved broth
• 1 t dijon mustard
• salad greens

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Make 12 silver-dollar sized disks of grated parmesan on a silpat. Bake for about 4 minutes, until lightly browned and crispy. Cool cheese crisps.
3. In a small frying pan, heat oil and mustard seeds until seeds start to pop. Turn off heat and let cool.
4. Mince shallot and put in a measuring cup with the vinegar, salt, and pepper. Let soak for a while.
5. To serve the salad, combine the cooled oil with the vinegar, adding the reserved broth and mustard, and whisk. Slice the pears using a mandolin. Slice the tongue into 1/2 cm slices. Assemble salad with alternating slices of pear and meat, with the parmesan crisps and dressing on the top.