nephew, with a wife and very large family. Important
Guest — An uncle, rich — very rich ; a bachelor ;
elderly, but irritable. At the moment the covers are
taken off, he rises from the table, wrath written on his
brow: “I will stand it no longer; give me my hat.
This is the twelfth day running I have had roast beef
and boiled turkey. I’ll stand it no longer !” Exit in
a rage.
Now, as I said in my last article, there is such a
demand for mock-turtle soup about Christmas time
that calves’ heads have been known to fetch a guinea
apiece ; but every housekeeper knows how exceedingly
expensive they are at this season.
The change, however, of real turtle soup for mock
is in the opinion of most people a change for the
better, and we will fulfil the promise we made in
another article, and describe as clearly as we can
how to make real turtle soup from the dried turtle
flesh, at a less cost than mock-turtle soup can be
212 Common-sense Cookery.
made from calves’ head when the latter is very
dear.
The first thing to be done is, of course, to purchase
some of the dried flesh, which is generally about ten
shillings a pound, and can be obtained from any of
the large London provision-merchants — and is occa-
sionally kept by the better-class grocers.
Now the general fault that we have found people
express in regard to cookery-books, is that they in-
variably describe how to make such large quantities
that the recipes are only adapted to hotels. It is
evident, too, that if a cook can make three pints of
soup, she could make three gallons. We will there-
fore describe how to make a small quantity of turtle
soup — viz., three pints, which, by-the-by, is amply
sufficient for ten people, or even more. Let those
who doubt this — and they will be many — go at once,
and see how many ladlefuls there are in a pint — the
average is five. Now, at the commencement of a
good dinner one ladleful is ample for each person.
Three pints of soup would therefore give fifteen people
one help each, but of course it would not do to have
only just enough. Beau Brununel once said that he
would never speak to a man again who came twice
for soup ; but he would be a brave man who would
risk no one asking for more, when the party is a
family one at Christmas time, and the soup real turtle.
Turtle Soup.
213
First, the turtle-flesh must be obtained at least
three days before the soup is required. Suppose, then,
a quarter of a pound to be in hand. It has somewhat
the appearance of glue. Place it in a basin of cold
water about the temperature of a hot summer’s day,
and let the basin, which had better be covered with a
plate, be kept in a warm place, such as a top shelf in
the kitchen. The very last thing before the cook
leaves the kitchen for the night, or when the kitchen
fire has got low, and will have no more coals put on
it, is for the basin to be placed in the oven. This is
especially necessary in winter. In the morning the
basin must be taken out before the fire is lit, and the
water changed — i.e., the flesh, which will be found to
be a little swollen, put into fresh cold water, and if it
smells rather offensively — somewhat like high fish —
there is no harm in rubbing it all over gently with a
lump of salt.✪ Turtle Soup
Page 86 · 1 recipe record on this page
Presented as published in 1880. 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
nephew, with a wife and very large family. Important Guest — An uncle, rich — very rich ; a bachelor ; elderly, but irritable. At the moment the covers are taken off, he rises from the table, wrath written on his brow: “I will stand it no longer; give me my hat. This is the twelfth day running I have had roast beef and boiled turkey. I’ll stand it no longer !” Exit in a rage.
Now, as I said in my last article, there is such a demand for mock-turtle soup about Christmas time that calves’ heads have been known to fetch a guinea apiece ; but every housekeeper knows how exceedingly expensive they are at this season.
The change, however, of real turtle soup for mock is in the opinion of most people a change for the better, and we will fulfil the promise we made in another article, and describe as clearly as we can how to make real turtle soup from the dried turtle flesh, at a less cost than mock-turtle soup can be
212 Common-sense Cookery.
made from calves’ head when the latter is very dear.
The first thing to be done is, of course, to purchase some of the dried flesh, which is generally about ten shillings a pound, and can be obtained from any of the large London provision-merchants — and is occasionally kept by the better-class grocers.
Now the general fault that we have found people express in regard to cookery-books, is that they invariably describe how to make such large quantities that the recipes are only adapted to hotels. It is evident, too, that if a cook can make three pints of soup, she could make three gallons. We will therefore describe how to make a small quantity of turtle soup — viz., three pints, which, by-the-by, is amply sufficient for ten people, or even more. Let those who doubt this — and they will be many — go at once, and see how many ladlefuls there are in a pint — the average is five. Now, at the commencement of a good dinner one ladleful is ample for each person. Three pints of soup would therefore give fifteen people one help each, but of course it would not do to have only just enough. Beau Brununel once said that he would never speak to a man again who came twice for soup ; but he would be a brave man who would risk no one asking for more, when the party is a family one at Christmas time, and the soup real turtle.
Turtle Soup.
First, the turtle-flesh must be obtained at least three days before the soup is required. Suppose, then, a quarter of a pound to be in hand. It has somewhat the appearance of glue. Place it in a basin of cold water about the temperature of a hot summer’s day, and let the basin, which had better be covered with a plate, be kept in a warm place, such as a top shelf in the kitchen. The very last thing before the cook leaves the kitchen for the night, or when the kitchen fire has got low, and will have no more coals put on it, is for the basin to be placed in the oven. This is especially necessary in winter. In the morning the basin must be taken out before the fire is lit, and the water changed — i.e., the flesh, which will be found to be a little swollen, put into fresh cold water, and if it smells rather offensively — somewhat like high fish — there is no harm in rubbing it all over gently with a lump of salt.
Records on this page
Turtle Soup