With the exception of a few leading London restaurants,
where a large quantity of this preparation is constantly in
demand, turtle soup is very rarely prepared in the kitchens of
catering establishments. It is more generally obtained ready-
made, either fresh or preserved, and as a rule of exceptional
quality, from firms whose speciality it is to make it, and who
deliver it in excellent condition.
From among the London firms who have deservedly earned
220 GUIDE TO MODERN COOKERY
b)
a reputation for this soup, ‘‘ Pécriaux ’
whose produce is quite irreproachable.
When a comparatively small quantity of this soup is re-
quired, it is best to buy it ready-made; in the event of its
being desirable to prepare it oneself, the following recipe will
be found the simplest and most practical for the purpose.
may be quoted as one
PARTICULARS OF THE OPERATION
The Slaughtering of the Turtle—For soup, take a turtle
weighing from 120 to 180 lbs., and let it be very fleshy and full
of life.
To slaughter it, lay it on its back on a table, with its head
hanging over the side. By means of a double butcher’s hook,
one spike of which is thrust into the turtle’s lower jaw, while
the other suspends an adequately heavy weight, make the animal
hold its head back; then, with all possible dispatch, sever the
head from the body.
Now immediately hang the body over a receptacle, that the
blood may be collected, and leave it thus for one and one-half
or two hours.
Then follows the dismemberment :—To begin with, thrust
a strong knife between the carapace or upper shell and the
plastron or lower shell, exactly where the two meet, and separate
the one from the other. The turtle being on its back, cut all the
adhering flesh from the plastron, and put the latter aside.
Now cut off the flippers; remove the intestines, which throw
away, and carefully collect all the green fat. Whereupon cut
away the flesh adhering to the carapace; once more remove all
fat, and keep both in reserve.
The Treatment of the Carapace, the Plastron, and the
Flippers.—The carapace and plastron, which are the outside
bony framework of the turtle, constitute the only portions where-
from the gelatinous flesh, used as the garnish of the soup, are
obtained.
Saw the carapace into six or eight pieces, and the plastron
into four.
Put these pieces with the flippers into boiling water or into
steam, to blanch. Withdraw the flippers as soon as they are
sufficiently stiff for their skin to be removed, and leave the
pieces of carapace and plastron to blanch for five minutes, in
order that they may admit of being scraped. Now cool the
pieces of carapace and plastron and the flippers, and put them
into a stewpan containing enough water to abundantly cover
SOUPS 221
them. Set to boil; garnish with vegetables, as in the case of
an ordinary broth, and add a small quantity of turtle herbs.
Five or six hours should be allowed for the cooking of the
carapace and the plastron, but the flippers, which are put to
further uses in other culinary preparations, should be withdrawn
at the end of five hours.
When the pieces are taken from the cooking-liquor, remove
all the flesh from the bones, and cool the former; then trim it
carefully, and cut it into little squares of one and one-half
inches side. It is these squares together with the green fat
(poached in salted water and sliced) which constitute the garnish
of the soup.
The Preparation of Turtle Soup.—There are two modes of
procedure, though their respective results are almost identical.
1. Make a broth of the flesh of turtle alone, and then add a
very gelatinous beef consommé to it, in pursuance of the
method employed when the turtle soup is bought ready-made.
This procedure is practically the best, more particularly if
the soup has to be kept some time. ✪ Turtle Soup
Page 128 · 1 recipe record on this page
Presented as published in 1909. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
With the exception of a few leading London restaurants, where a large quantity of this preparation is constantly in demand, turtle soup is very rarely prepared in the kitchens of catering establishments. It is more generally obtained readymade, either fresh or preserved, and as a rule of exceptional quality, from firms whose speciality it is to make it, and who deliver it in excellent condition.
FFrom among the London firms who have deservedly earned a reputation for this soup, ''Pécriaux'' whose produce is quite irreproachable..
When a comparatively small quantity of this soup is required, it is best to buy it ready-made; in the event of its being desirable to prepare it oneself, the following recipe will be found the simplest and most practical for the purpose.
may be quoted as one
PARTICULARS OF THE OPERATION
The Slaughtering of the Turtle—For soup, take a turtle weighing from 120 to 180 lbs., and let it be very fleshy and full of life.
To slaughter it, lay it on its back on a table, with its head hanging over the side. By means of a double butcher’s hook, one spike of which is thrust into the turtle’s lower jaw, while the other suspends an adequately heavy weight, make the animal hold its head back; then, with all possible dispatch, sever the head from the body.
Now immediately hang the body over a receptacle, that the blood may be collected, and leave it thus for one and one-half or two hours.
Then follows the dismemberment :—To begin with, thrust a strong knife between the carapace or upper shell and the plastron or lower shell, exactly where the two meet, and separate the one from the other. The turtle being on its back, cut all the adhering flesh from the plastron, and put the latter aside. Now cut off the flippers; remove the intestines, which throw away, and carefully collect all the green fat. Whereupon cut away the flesh adhering to the carapace; once more remove all fat, and keep both in reserve.
The Treatment of the Carapace, the Plastron, and the Flippers.—The carapace and plastron, which are the outside bony framework of the turtle, constitute the only portions wherefrom the gelatinous flesh, used as the garnish of the soup, are obtained.
Saw the carapace into six or eight pieces, and the plastron into four.
Put these pieces with the flippers into boiling water or into steam, to blanch. Withdraw the flippers as soon as they are sufficiently stiff for their skin to be removed, and leave the pieces of carapace and plastron to blanch for five minutes, in order that they may admit of being scraped. Now cool the pieces of carapace and plastron and the flippers, and put them into a stewpan containing enough water to abundantly cover
them. Set to boil; garnish with vegetables, as in the case of an ordinary broth, and add a small quantity of turtle herbs.
Five or six hours should be allowed for the cooking of the carapace and the plastron, but the flippers, which are put to further uses in other culinary preparations, should be withdrawn at the end of five hours.
When the pieces are taken from the cooking-liquor, remove all the flesh from the bones, and cool the former; then trim it carefully, and cut it into little squares of one and one-half inches side. It is these squares together with the green fat (poached in salted water and sliced) which constitute the garnish of the soup.
The Preparation of Turtle Soup.—There are two modes of procedure, though their respective results are almost identical.
1. Make a broth of the flesh of turtle alone, and then add a very gelatinous beef consommé to it, in pursuance of the method employed when the turtle soup is bought ready-made.
This procedure is practically the best, more particularly if the soup has to be kept some time.
Records on this page
Turtle Soup