FoodNetArchive

The housewife's referee

1898

Page 84 · 3 recipe records on this page

Presented as published in 1898. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
Terrapin. — When a pot of water is boiling hard, drop the live terrapin in, and boil from one-half to three-quarters of an hour or more, until the skin can be pulled off their feet and the upper and lower shells are coming apart. Then take them out of the pot and set them to cool (they must be fairly warm or they will not pick apart well) ; reserve a quart of water in which they have boiled. Open the shell of the terrapin and quickly pull off the head and remove the two livers ; the largest liver contains the gall in a small round sac, which must be care- fully cut loose and removed without breaking (hold it off^ some distance from the terrapin, for the least drop will spoil everything), wash the livers and cut them up in medium-sized pieces, then all the rest of the terrapin, entrails included, is good. Cut the latter in pieces an inch 122 THE HOUSEWIFE^S EEFEKEE long. Kemove the two sand bags (small bladders adhering to the top shells) and throw them away. Skin the feet, and throw away the skin and toe nails. All the meat on the neck is good ; also the bones. Put the quart of water they were boiled in into a saeepan; when it boils, add half a pound of butter mixed carefully with three heaped tablespoonfuls of flour, salt to taste, half a saltspoonful of powdered mace, the same of red pepper, and keep stirring till it thickens; then pour in the terrapin, and let it boil up once, then set the saucepan on one side of the fire, when it must be kept hot but not boil. Next take a frying-pan, put in one teaspoonful of good butter and tAvo tablespoonfuls of brown sugar, and stir quickly and without ceasing till it is a dark brown colour (almost black), but must not burn ; then add two tablespoonfuls of water, still stirring. Then take one dessertspoonful of this and stir it into the saucepan of terrapin, which must be hot ; then take it off the fire, and add half a pint of best sherryTerrapin, and serve at once. Trout, Turban of. — Take two small trout, fillet and flatten them so that they will fit a plain round mould, season them with a little salt, and sprinkle half of them on one side with lobster spawn, and the other half with chopped parsley. Butter the mould, and line it with buttered paper ; arrange the fillets of trout alternately round the mould like Savoy biscuits in a Charlotte Eusse mould. Put over these a lobster farce, and smooth it well, pressing the farce close against the fillets ; fill up the centre with some cucumber cut into slices and cooked in white sauceTrout, Turban of. Place the mould in a stewpan with suflicient boiling water to come half-way up the mould ; when the water reboils draw the pan to the side of the fire and put the lid on, and let it steam for nearly an hour. When ready turn out the mould, pour the sauce round, and garnish the top of the turban with lobster quenelles and pieces of chopped cucumber. Serve caper sauce with it, fiavoured with chablis. Turbot a la Bearnaise.^ — Choose a small firm turbot, fillet and lay the fillets for an hour to soak in marinade of oil, lemon, minced onion, parsley, pepper, and salt. Drain them ; then dip in beaten egg and breadcrumbs, brush them over with clarified butter, and grill them on both sides. Serve with cut lemon and Bearnaise sauceTurbot a la Bearnaise. FISH 123