Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1885-02-13
HOW TO COOK TERRAPIN.


least six inches across the back, although
very good dishes may be made from smale:
ones. A six inch terrapin is what is called a
count and twelve of these are allowed to
dozen. Smaller ones are counted Is or a
TO the dozen, and as many as As very little
ones are counted dozen.
Before cooking a terrapin allow it to swim
about for three or four hours in cold water
to cleanse it, Then wash it of and take it
out and plunge it head first into pot Of
boiling water. This will kill it instantly.
Throw some salt into the water and cover
the pot up tight. Boil it until the black
outer skin in the Textures of the joints will
rub off easily. Now take it out and rub and
peel off all the outer skin, taking care not to
disturb the dark gelatinous innerskin, which
is SO highly priced by epicures. Break off
the nails and put it back into the pot with
more clean hot salted water, and boil it un-
til the she'll begins to crack. 1t is now ready
to clean If the second water has not been
too highly salted it can afterwards bs used
to make terrapin soup.
10 clean the terrapin break apart the two
shells, taking care not TO break the gall,
very sharp knife cut sill around under the
to the meat. Under no circumstances must
you plunge your knife into the iesby parts,
or you will be sure to strike the gall and
ruin your dish. After you have loosened all
around the edges with the point Of your knife
loosen the rest of the meat from the
shell, and if nicely done, this will avoid
striking the gall. Carefully save all the
Juice that may escape during this operation.
The gall and the sandbag are what always
trouble beginners. This latter is brown
spongy substance, which lies under the top
shell on either side OF the ridge and can
easily be distinguished from inc neaL. Inc
available meat is located about the head
and legs. Every bit Of this is available, as
are all the intestines except the large one
near the TAIL which must be carefully re-
moved. Around the sockets OF the legs lies
the precious green fat. After the shell Is
removed break off the head and legs, which
will each come off attached to fleshy por-
ton of meat. Remove all the meat and tat
from the bones. Now separate the liver
from the saudbag and do not break the
gall. Handle gently. Detach the eggs also
and throw them into bowl Of cold water.
Take carefully off any greenish substance
which may adhere to them from contact
with the gall, and also remove the mem
of the liver, along with any portion Of the
liver which looks greenish. 1t is best TO
cut all the liver possible off first and then
attack the gall Do not pull Or squcezs it,
or it will surely break !hc t"rrapin is
now prepared for cooking.
San Wards recipe is really the old recipe
used by Henry Clay. Daniel Webster, and
the high ivers of that time, and has been
hau,ied down frotu them. Boil the lerrapIn
and Drepaic the meaL for coOkuG. Take
one table. poonful of Drowned il"ur, one
Tablespoonful Gf sugar, oue-half Il pound of
butter, one grated nutmeg, salt and cayenne
10 taste, u very little powdered cloves, and
one quart Of terrspin meat When this Is
thoroughly heated finish it with half IL pint
each of good port and sherry wine. At the
end, before taking up, put in the juice of one
large lemon.
For those who object 10 the use of wine
in cooking, take one quart OF meat, the
yoks of twelve hard boiled eggs rubbed
smooth, with half pound of butter add
salt, and both black and red pepper, salt
spoonful of mustard, and half glass OF cur
rant jelly instead of wine.
If your terrapin does not contain enough
eggs TO properly garnish your dish; an az
cel!ent Imitation caG be made by rubbing
two boiled yolks through sieve, and
then mixing with enough salad oil to make
a stiff paste, adding very little salt. Put
just enough -four on your hands to allow
YOU to roll this mixture into little irregular
shaped balls the size and shape of terrapin
eggs.
The old Virginia style is to take pint of
terrapin meat, livers and eggs, and put it
into saucepan. Take the yolks of eight
hard-boled eggs rubbed smooth, with a
dessert.spoonful of flour, half pint each of
cream and Madeira wine, with salt and cay
enne pepper to taste. Put this into the
saucepan with the terrapin and stew halfan
hour and serve.
The Maryland recipe is as follows: Put
one pint of terrapin meat, with eggs and
liver, in chafng-dish, with quarter OF
pound of butter, gill or half.tumblerful
of Madeira wine, salt and q little cayenne
pepper. Cover the chafng-dish and stew
half an hour, and serve in the dish.