Terrapin

Ingredients

• boiling water
• half a cup of butter
• one wineglassful of cream
• one wineglassful of sherry
• the yolks of two hard-boiled eggs
• a little salt
• cayenne

Method

1. 1

   Soak terrapin in strong salt water.

2. 2

   Boil them alive in boiling water for 10-15 minutes.

3. 3

   Remove the black skin and claws, wash, and boil again until the under shell cracks.

4. 4

   Carefully open to save the gravy, remove the under shell and gall bladder.

5. 5

   Boil the upper shells until tender.

6. 6

   Mix the meat with cream, butter, salt, cayenne, and sherry.

7. 7

   Add yolks mixed with raw yolk to form balls.

8. 8

   Serve immediately.

As published

This recipe was extracted from Mrs. Lincoln's Boston cook book (1884) by Lincoln, Mary Johnson Bailey "Mrs. D. A. Lincoln,", page 113. The excerpt below is the record exactly as published.

Terrapin. This expensive member of the turtle family is highly prized in Baltimore and Philadelphia, but seldom used in New England. Terrapin may be kept alive through the winter by putting them in a barrel, where they will not freeze, and feeding them occasionall}' with vegetable parings. Before cooking, soak them in strong salt water. Put them alive into boiling water, and boil rapidly ten or fifteen minutes. Remove the black outside skin from the shells, and the nails from the claws. Wash in warm water ; then put them on again, in fresh boiling water ; add a little salt, and boil about three quarters of an hour, or until the under shell cracks. Open them carefully over a bowl to save the grav}^, remove the under shell, the sand bags, the head, and the gall bladder from the liver. If the gall bladder be broken in the process, the whole dish will be ruined by the escaping gall. Put the upper shells on to boil again in the same water, and boil until tender ; watch them carefull}^ and take each out as soon as 1 86 The Boston Cook Booh. tender. Pick the liver and meat from the upper shell, and cut into several pieces. The intestines are used with the meat in winter, when the turtle is in a torpid condition ; but in the summer the}' should be thrown away. Boil the intestines hy themselves one hour. This should be pre- pared the day before. Heat the meat in the gravy. To each terrapin add one wineglassful of cream^ half a cup of butter, a little salt^ cayenne^ and one wineglassful of sherry. Use the turtle eggs if there be any ; if not, the yolks of two hard-boiled eggs

Cook this with the app: pantry check, scaling, and the assistant.