Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1897-03-22
LUSCIOUS TERRAPIN.
"Bob. the Sea CooE's'' Recipe for Cook
ing Single One.

'sBob. the Sea Cooks" Recipe for Cook
ing q Single One.
Philadelphia is justly noted for a
number of places where terrapin is
cooked to the epicure's taste. One can
not name them all, but MCGOWAN, Au-
deservedly achieved fame in this particu-
lar. In reputation it must be confessed
that MCGOWAN leads the van. AS rule,
negroes excel in cooking the dish.
Frenchmen are rarely adopts at it, gen
early spelling the delicate flavor with too
many fXin's. MCGOWAN employs nov
ell method to render the flavor of the
meat more delicate, that some of his
rivals might profit by. The day before
he intends cooking the terrapin he takes
the torpid creatures from the dark bar.
rels they are packed in and places them
tepid water This warns them into ac-
tive life, and they move about freely
and cleanse themselves.
Bob, the Sea Cook" some years ago,
told the Caterer how to cook terrapin.
He was disciple Of old James Prosser,
a colored man who was famous in this
city years ago for the manner in which
way of doing it.
"You can't enjoy terrapin unless the
day is nippin'. Temperature and terra
pin go hand in hand. Now as to your
terrapin; bless you, there is all the diff
ference in the world in them. The more
northerly is the terrapin ground, the bet
ter. You eat a Florida terrapin; you
needn't despise it, for terrapin is terrapin
anywhere, but you get Chesapeake one
or a Delaware bay one, or, better still,
a Long island one, and there is just the
difference between $40 dozen and $36.
Warm water kind O. washes the delicate
flavor out of them. Don't you let the
prevention of cr11n1tv tn animals folks
know it, but your terrapin must be boiled
alive. Have a good big pot with hot
fire under it, SO that he shan't anguish,
and when it's got on a full head of steam
pop him in. What | am going to give
is a recipe for a single one. If you are
awfully rich and go in for a gross of ter
rapin, just use your multiplication table.
Just as soon as he caves in, watch him
and try his fippers; when they part
when you try 'em with your finger, he is
good. Open him nicely with knife;
billing of him dislocates his snuffbox.
Pick out every scrap of his meat; there
amt overmuch of it, more's the pity; the
most is in the jints of the legs and side
lockers, but if you want to commit muir
der, just you smash his gall. Then your
terrapin is gone forever. Watch close for
eggs and handle them gingerly. Now,
having got him or her all into shape,
put the meat aside. Take three fresh
CSSSs SOu uIuSI have luSlu 1ICSd' AO11C
'em hard and mash 'em smooth. Add to
that tablespoonful of sifted flour, three
tablespoonfuls of cream, salt and pepper
(red pepper to a terrapin is just depravi-
ty) and two wine glasses of sherry wine
wine as costs $3.50 bottle amt a
bit too good. There never was drop of
grape juice from Jeres de Frontera that
wouldn't think itself honored to have it
| self mixed up with a terrapin. Now,
you want quite quarter of a pound of
the very best fresh butter and put that
in a porcelain-covered pan and melt it
first-mustn't be Drowned. When it
comes to be oily, put in your terrapin,
yolks of eggs, wine and all. Let it sim
mer gently, gently. Billing up two or
three times does the business. What
you are after is to make it blend. There
amt nothing that must be too pinted
in terrapin stew. 1t wants to be a
quiet thing; suave dish, just pervaded
with a most beautiful and natural terra
pin aroma. You must serve it to the peo-
pie that eat it on hot plate, but the
real thing is to have it on a chafng dish,
and though a man oughtenter be selfish,
there is a kind of divine satisfaction in
eating it all to yourself. But there won't
be never another Jeems Prosser. His
secret died with him" -Philadelphia
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