So after a fair amount of schoolwork, traveling, and other less than legitimate reasons not to write, I have some catching up to do. I want to write about so much of the food I have eaten and traveling I have done recently, and after I learn the in’s and out’s of my new camera, I will get to that. Over this past weekend, I had a fair amount of time at home, and I found some beef tongue at the local coop that could fill some of that time in its preparation. As I do much of the time when cooking beef tongue, I started by simmering it for four hours in a pot with water, salt, onions, garlic, dried chiles, thyme, parsley stems, peppercorns, bay leaf, and dried chiles. Then I allowed it to cool some and put it in the refrigerator, covered, overnight. Doing this allows the now tender meat to firm up and hold its shape.
While at the coop, I also picked up some fresh chicken livers. I rinsed them a few times under cold water, then submerged them in milk and allowed them to soak for about six hours. After six hours, I removed them, gave them a rinse, cleaned them up a little, and drained them on some paper towels. When the livers were ready to be cooked, I started sauteing some shallots, garlic, thyme, sage, and just a few shitakes in butter and olive oil. I allowed them to soften up a bit then added a small amount of chopped green apple. Soon after, I added the livers. I cooked them for about two minutes on one side and 90 seconds on the other before adding some port to deglaze the pan. I cooked this for a minute to allow the alcohol to cook out, then threw everything in the food processor. I seasoned everything with salt and pepper and began to puree it all. I added a couple small chunks of butter to round out the flavor, and I added a splash of white wine vinegar and some parsley to brighten it a little. I then put the mixture in the refrigerator to cool a bit while I got the rest of the sandwich ready.
I sliced some hearty bread that I picked up at the Great Harvest Bread Company and began to toast it. Then I sliced the beef tongue. I cut about half inch slices, seasoned them with olive oil, salt, and pepper, and began to grill them. They needed only to be heated through and given a little char on the outside.
When the bread was a golden brown, I spread some honey truffle mustard on one side. On the other, I spread some of the chicken liver mousse. I took a couple pieces of beef tongue and sandwiched them in the middle, then put the whole thing in the panini press for a minute or two so that the sandwich would come together. I was very happy with how the sandwich came out. The creamy mousse offered a nice livery flavor, the mustard offered a kick of dijon, a subtle earthy flavor of truffle, and some sweetness from the honey, and the beef tongue was extremely tender after being heated through while offering its superbly beefy flavor. The sandwich came together on a whim, and it is by no means a perfected dish. I do like the idea, and I think that I can have some fun with the idea in the future, looking to improve on something I already enjoy.
