2024 Cooks the Books presented by Canadian Beef – Team George Brown College
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2024 Taste Canada Cooks the Books
presented by Canadian Beef
Smoked Beef Tongue meets Filipino and Bajan Fusion
Recipe by: Student Chefs Negus King and Francine May Adriosula
Team: George Brown College | Toronto, Ontario
Vibrant flavors of smoky beef tongue seasoned with a Club HouseⓇ spice blend and brushed with prune gastrique. Accompanied by unique flavours of two national dishes: “coucou” creamy corn pudding and tangy “adobo” glazed carrots while using Canadian seasonal ingredients. Topped with citrusy California Walnuts gremolata and red wine-braised shallots. Finished with crispy croquettes, complemented with California Prune-red wine jus and green oil highlighting sustainability practices showcased in cooking techniques.
Smoked Beef Tongue meets Filipino and Bajan Fusion
Ingredients
Club HouseⓇ Spice blend:
- 4 ½ tbsp (50 g) EACH chipotle mango, garlic powder, sriracha & lime
- 2 ½ tbsp (25 g) onion powder
- 1 ½ tbsp (12 g) EACH salt, white granulated sugar
- 1/2 tbsp (5 g) ancho chili powder
Corn Pudding:
- ¾ cup (300 g) frozen corn kernels
- 1 ¼ cup (300 mL) Lactalis Canada Cooking Cream
- 4 tbsp (60 g) Lactalis Canada butter, unsalted
- 5/6 cup (200 mL) water
- 2/3 cup (100 g) fine cornmeal, bloomed
- 1/2 cup (75 g) chopped shallot
- 1 tsp (6 g) salt
Adobo Prune Paste:
- 1/2 cup (100 mL) apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup (50 mL) soy sauce
- 1/2 cup (60 g) California Prunes, softened
- 1 ½ tsp (12 g) EACH Club HouseⓇ Garlic Powder, Sriracha and Lime
- 2 tsp (10 g) white granulated sugar
Prune Gastrique:
- 2 cups (200 g) California Prunes, pitted
- 1 cup (200 mL) water
- 2 tbsp (30 mL) apple cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp (25 g) white granulated sugar
- 6 pcs white peppercorn whole
- 2 (pcs) bay leaf
- 1 tsp (6 g) salt
Walnut Gremolata:
- 1 ½ cup (150 g) California Walnuts, toasted, finely chopped
- 13 stems carrot tops and parsley finely chopped
- 1/ 4 cup (30 g) California Prunes, reserved
- 4 tbsp (50 mL) olive oil
- 1 whole lemon zested, juiced
- 1/2 tbsp (5 g) EACH Club HouseⓇ ancho chili powder, salt, sriracha and lime, white granulated sugar
Beef Tongue:
- 2 lb (1 kg) Beef Tongue
- 12 cups (3 L) water
- 2 cups (100 g) hay
- Prune Red Wine Jus Lié:
- 1/2 cup (100 mL) red wine
- 1/4 pc finely chopped shallot
- 1/4 cup (30 g) California Prunes
- 4 cups (1 L) beef stock
- 2 tsp (5 g) cornstarch
- 1 tsp (6 g) salt
Prune Adobo Carrots:
- 10 carrots scrubbed, halved
- 1/2 cup (100 g) prune adobo paste
- 2 tbsp (30 mL) olive oil
- 1 tsp (6 g) black pepper and salt
Braised Red Wine Shallot:
- 8 pcs (200 g) shallots halved
- 2/3 cup (150 mL) red wine
- 3 tbsp (50 mL) apple cider vinegar
Green Oil:
- 1 ½ cup (300 mL) canola oil
- 1/2 bunch carrot tops
- 1/4 bunch parsley
Croquette:
- 1/4 cup (50 mL) EACH water, Lactalis Canada Cooking Cream
- 2 ½ tbsp (30 g) EACH all-purpose flour, Lactalis Canada butter, unsalted
- 4 tbsp (50 g) Lactalis Canada Cream Cheese, softened
- 1/4 cup (30 g) EACH minced California Prunes, Beef Tongue Trimmings
- 1/2 cup (60 g) California Walnuts, finely chopped
- 3/4 cup (100 g) EACH cornstarch, panko breadcrumbs,
- 1 cup (200 mL) water
- 4 cups (1 L) canola oil
Instructions
Beef Tongue and Spice Blend:
- Prepare by pressure cooking the tongue for 1.5 hours. Clean skin and chill. Mix spices in a bowl. Cut tongue into 6 medallions (150g each) and coat with spices. Sear in a hot pan until golden, then braise in beef stock at 400°F (200°C) for 35 minutes. Smoke with hay for 10 minutes to add a smoky flavor.
Croquettes:
- Make a roux, 2 ½ tbsp (30 g) each of flour and butter, cook until golden. Whisk in water and cream for a béchamel. Blend California Walnuts, California Prunes, cream cheese, tongue trimmings, and béchamel. Shape into croquettes, chill, bread, and fry at 350°F (175°C) until golden. Season with salt to taste and serve.
Prune Red Wine Jus Lié:
- In a saucepan, reduce red wine with white peppercorns, shallots, and California Prunes. Add bay leaf and beef stock, then simmer until reduced. Thicken with a cornstarch slurry, stirring until desired consistency.
Adobo Prune Paste:
- Simmer the California Prunes in water until they are soft. Transfer prunes to a blender with the remaining ingredients, blend until smooth.
Corn “Coucou” Pudding:
- Bloom cornmeal in warm water for 10 minutes. Sauté shallots, corn, and cream until softened, then season with salt. Blend with the bloomed cornmeal until smooth. Return to the pan, stir in 4 tbsp (60 g) butter, and cook until thickened. Keep warm in a bain-marie.
Adobo Prune Carrots:
- Season with salt, pepper, and oil. Roast at 400°F (200°C) for 15 minutes until tender but firm. Glaze with prune adobo sauce before serving.
Braised Red Wine Shallot:
- Halve the shallots and place them flesh side down in a pot. Add 2/3 cup (150 mL) red wine to cover, then braise at 400°F (200°C) for 10 minutes until tender. Separate the petals and finish with a splash of apple cider vinegar.
Prune Gastrique:
- Simmer California Prunes in water over medium heat for 5-8 minutes until softened. Remove and set aside the prunes and add apple cider vinegar, sugar, and white peppercorns to the pot. Stir and simmer until the mixture thickens.
Walnut Gremolata:
- Toast the California Walnuts until fragrant, then roughly pulse in food processor. In a bowl, combine the walnuts with minced carrot tops, parsley, California Prunes, olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, and spices. Mix well.
Green Oil:
- Blend carrot tops and parsley with canola oil in for 3-5 minutes, using the heat from the blender to brighten the herbs. Pass the mixture through a fine strainer lined with cheesecloth to separate the oil from any solids.
- Place smoked tongue on the plate, brush with prune gastrique, add a quenelle of the walnut gremolata on top of tongue and sprinkle with spice mix. Arrange two carrots, a quenelle of corn pudding, three braised shallots, and three croquettes. Drizzle with sauce and green oil, then garnish with carrot tops.
Notes
Replace carrots for alternative to keep alignment with seasonality, asparagus in summer, kale in winter, etc.
Leftover prunes from gastrique, are repurposed in Prune Red Wine jus and croquette filling.
Using a coucou stick; a Bajan classic utensil, creates the best result and consistency of the corn pudding.
The 2024 student chefs selected a unique cut of beef for their recipe by exploring a new web-based education tool, the Canadian Beef Information Gateway. The Gateway has information on over 70 cuts of beef with cut descriptions, complete nutrition info per cut, how-to-cook recommendations, over 300+ recipe videos and more.
Taste Canada Cooks the Books presented by Canada Beef is a cooking competition that invites Canadian culinary students from across the nation to compete for the title of Canada’s Best New Student Chefs.
The 2024 student chefs created their own unique dish following the Cooks the Books criteria based on the 2024 theme: “Global Flavours Grow in Canada”. The theme which challenged the students to explore the rich tapestry of global cuisines and cultural influences that have shaped their culinary journeys.
The challenge was to create a distinctive recipe that marries these international inspirations with the best of Canadian ingredients, branded partner products and a unique cut of Canada Beef.
All recipes included a cut of AAA Canadian Beef as centre-of-plate and an assortment of Lactalis dairy products. Recipes used at least 60% of ingredients that are grown, produced and/or raised in Canada. The students were invited to use the What’s in Season section of the Canadian Food Focus website as their helpful resource. They also incorporated a handful of California Prunes and California Walnuts and a variety of Club House herbs and spices.
Photo Credits: Cathy Connally, Charley Best and Stephen Chu
Special Thanks to the 2024 Taste Canada Cooks the Books Sponsors:
Presented by Canadian Beef
