The
shells are joined at each side, between the fore and hind
claws or legs, with small serrated points, which part slightly
when the terrapin are tender; sometimes they are tender
in fifteen or twenty minutes, but often a longer time is
required for boiling. When the shells of the terrapin can
be parted, take them from the boiling water, and let them
cool until they can be dressed.
224 PRACTICAL AMERICAN COOKERY.
BOW TO DRESS TERRAPIN.
Loosen the sides of the shells of boiled terrapin as soon
as they are cool enough to handle ; Uft off the top shell,
which is held to the spine of the terrapin by small bands
of flesh ; these are to be pulled or cut apart ; then remove
the under shell. The entrails of the terrapin lie in a mass
with the eggs and liver embedded in them, and the legs are
attached to them by crossing bands of flesh; pull off the
legs, leaving the flesh attached to them, break off the sharp
claws at the extremities of the feet ; separate and throw away
the head, and put the legs on a dish ; carefully remove all
the eggs, and put them into a bowl of hot water; sepa-
rate the liver from the entrails, and cut out that part of the
liver which contains the small dark-green gall-bag that can
be seen at one side of the liver. The utmost care should be
taken to avoid cutting or breaking the gall-bag : in remov-
ing it, the liver should be held over an empty dish, and, if
the gall-bag is cut or broken, the liver should be thrown
away, and the hands washed before the dressing of the ter-
rapin is resumed. After the gall-bag is removed, cut the
liver in pieces about half an inch square, and put it with
the flesh of the terrapin. Only the flesh, eggs, and liver of
terrapin are ordinarily used ; old Southern cooks sometimes
scalded and scraped the intestines, and added them to ter-
rapin stew. When there are no eggs in terrapin, egg-balls
are made to accompany it ; a good recipe is given else-
where.
BROWN STEW OF TERRAPIN.
For a pint of terrapin meat, put into a saucepan two heap-
ing tablespoonfuls of butter and one of flour, and stir them
together over the fire until they are delicately browned ;
then stir in a pint of the second water in which the terrapin
was boiled, or a pint of boiling water. When the sauce is
JflSII AND SHELLFISH {POISSON). 22^
Stirred quite smooth, season it with a 'level teaspoonful of
salt, a quarter of a saltspoonful each of pepper and nutmeg,
and a dust of cayenne ; put the terrapin into the sauce, heat
it scalding hot, draw it to the side of the fire, add four raw
yolks of eggs beaten smooth, and then at once serve the
terrapin in a tureen containing a gill of good Madeira and
a tablespoonful of lemon-juice.
STEWED TERRAPIN WITH CREAM. ✪ Brown Stew of Terrapin
Page 128 · 2 recipe records on this page
Presented as published in 1885. 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
The shells are joined at each side, between the fore and hind claws or legs, with small serrated points, which part slightly when the terrapin are tender; sometimes they are tender in fifteen or twenty minutes, but often a longer time is required for boiling. When the shells of the terrapin can be parted, take them from the boiling water, and let them cool until they can be dressed.
BOW TO DRESS TERRAPIN.
Loosen the sides of the shells of boiled terrapin as soon as they are cool enough to handle ; Lift off the top shell, which is held to the spine of the terrapin by small bands of flesh ; these are to be pulled or cut apart ; then remove the under shell. The entrails of the terrapin lie in a mass with the eggs and liver embedded in them, and the legs are attached to them by crossing bands of flesh; pull off the legs, leaving the flesh attached to them, break off the sharp claws at the extremities of the feet ; separate and throw away the head, and put the legs on a dish ; carefully remove all the eggs, and put them into a bowl of hot water; separate the liver from the entrails, and cut out that part of the liver which contains the small dark-green gall-bag that can be seen at one side of the liver. The utmost care should be taken to avoid cutting or breaking the gall-bag : in removing it, the liver should be held over an empty dish, and, if the gall-bag is cut or broken, the liver should be thrown away, and the hands washed before the dressing of the terrapin is resumed. After the gall-bag is removed, cut the liver in pieces about half an inch square, and put it with the flesh of the terrapin. Only the flesh, eggs, and liver of terrapin are ordinarily used ; old Southern cooks sometimes scalded and scraped the intestines, and added them to terrapin stew. When there are no eggs in terrapin, egg-balls are made to accompany it ; a good recipe is given elsewhere.
BROWN STEW OF TERRAPIN.
For a pint of terrapin meat, put into a saucepan two heaping tablespoonfuls of butter and one of flour, and stir them together over the fire until they are delicately browned ; then stir in a pint of the second water in which the terrapin was boiled, or a pint of boiling water. When the sauce is
Stirred quite smooth, season it with a 'level teaspoonful of salt, a quarter of a saltspoonful each of pepper and nutmeg, and a dust of cayenne ; put the terrapin into the sauce, heat it scalding hot, draw it to the side of the fire, add four raw yolks of eggs beaten smooth, and then at once serve the terrapin in a tureen containing a gill of good Madeira and a tablespoonful of lemon-juice.
STEWED TERRAPIN WITH CREAM.
Records on this page
Brown Stew of TerrapinStewed Terrapin with Cream