Beef Tongue and Tail Pie

While we're not getting any major storms here from Hurricane Joaquin, it has made for a cold, damp day that's been filled with nothing but rain.  I did get a small break to take Bonne Bouche out for a 40 minute walk, but otherwise it's been a good day to putz about in the kitchen.

Beef Tongue and Oxtail

I felt something rich and warming would be good for today, so I combined Fergus Henderson's Chicken and Oxtail pie with Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's Tail and Tongue of Beef in Rich Red Wine Sauce, 1.) because I had the required ingredients on hand or in the freezer 2.) because what's better than stew and pie crust?
I didn't really change anything from the recipes, although I substituted Noilly Prat Dry for the red wine, and skipped adding any chicken or capers.  The meats were braised, the tongue peeled and cubes, the oxtail shredded and picked over.
Although a marrow bone is a rather ineffective pie bird, due to it's large size and marrow filling, I love the look and the added treat of roasted marrow to scoop into the pie.
The pie was wonderful: savory, peppery, and rich from the tongue and tail.  Carla loved the tender cubes of tongue, while I preferred the unctuous strands of oxtail.  Turnips, carrots, and celery gave it some healthy components, I believe.
Since stew is always better after a day or two, I've come up with a pretty satisfactory method for reheating the stew and pie crust.  Preheat your oven to 350 F, then heat up a portion of the stew in a sauce pot or in the microwave.  While the pie filling warms, reheat/recrisp the crust on a baking sheet in the oven.  While not as good as fresh from the oven, it keeps the crust from getting soggy in the microwave.
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