About Tongue
Blessed indeed is the cook with the gift of tongues! No matter from which source —beef, calf, lamb, or pork—the smaller-sized tongues are usually preferable. The most commonly used and best flavored, whether fresh, smoked, or pickled, is beef tongue. For prime texture, it should be under 3 pounds.

Scrub the tongue well. If it is smoked or pickled, you may wish to blanch it first, simmering it about 10 minutes. Immerse the tongue in cold water. After draining, cook as for Boiled Fresh Tongue. If the tongue is to be served hot, drain, plunge it into cold water for a moment so you can handle it, skin it, and trim it by removing the roots, small bones, and gristle. Return it very briefly to the hot cooking water to reheat before serving.

If the tongue is to be served cold, allow it to cool just enough to handle comfortably. It skins easily at this point, but not if you let it get cold. Trim and return it to the pot to cool completely in the cooking liquor. It is attractive served with Chaud-Froid Sauce, or in Aspic.

To carve the tongue, cut nearly through at the hump parallel to the base. But toward the tip, better-looking slices can be made if the cut is diagonal.

Joy of Cooking, Irma S. Rombauer & Marion Rombauer Becker, The Bobbs-Merrill Company, Inc., Indianapolis/New York, 1975, p. 507

Tongue Baked in Creole Sauce - 6 Servings
Boil: A fresh or smoked beef tongue, about 1 ½ lb. or 2 or 8 lamb tongues
Skin and trim as directed in About Tongue. Preheat oven to 375°.
Prepare Creole Sauce.
Place the drained tongue, sliced or unsliced, in a casserole. Pour the sauce over it. Bake covered ½ hour.
Serve with chopped parsley.

Joy of Cooking, Irma S. Rombauer & Marion Rombauer Becker, The Bobbs-Merrill Company, Inc., Indianapolis/New York, 1975, pp. 507-508

Boiled Beef Tongue - 6-8 Servings
Place in a kettle a fresh beef tongue.
Peel and add:
2 medium-sized onions
1 large carrot
3 or more ribs celery with leaves
6 sprigs parsley
4 peppercorns
4 whole cloves (optional)
1 bay leaf

Barely cover these ingredients with boiling water. Skim off any scum after first 5 minutes. Simmer the tongue uncovered until tender, about 50 minutes per pound. Drain and reserve liquid. Skin and trim the tongue. Reheat in the cooking water before serving.

Joy of Cooking, Irma S. Rombauer & Marion Rombauer Becker, The Bobbs-Merrill Company, Inc., Indianapolis/New York, 1975, p. 507