large bunch of sweet herbs, 3 bay-leaves, parsley, green onions, 1
onion, 6 cloves, 4 blades of mace, 1/4 lb. of fresh butter, 1 bottle of
Madeira, 1 lump of sugar. For the _Quenelles à Tortue_, 1 lb. of veal, 1
lb. of bread crumbs, milk, 7 eggs, cayenne, salt, spices, chopped
parsley, the juice of 2 lemons.
_Mode_.--To make this soup with less difficulty, cut off the head of the
turtle the preceding day. In the morning open the turtle by leaning
heavily with a knife on the shell of the animal's back, whilst you cut
this off all round. Turn it upright on its end, that all the water, &c.
may run out, when the flesh should be cut off along the spine, with the
knife sloping towards the bones, for fear of touching the gall, which
sometimes might escape the eye. When all the flesh about the members is
obtained, wash these clean, and let them drain. Have ready, on the fire,
a large vessel full of boiling water, into which put the shells; and
when you perceive that they come easily off, take them out of the water,
and prick them all, with those of the back, belly, fins, head, &c. Boil
the back and belly till the bones can be taken off, without, however,
allowing the softer parts to be sufficiently done, as they will be
boiled again in the soup. When these latter come off easily, lay them on
earthen dishes singly, for fear they should stick together, and put them
to cool. Keep the liquor in which you have blanched the softer parts,
and let the bones stew thoroughly in it, as this liquor must be used to
moisten all the sauces.
All the flesh of the interior parts, the four legs and head, must be
drawn down in the following manner:--Lay the slices of ham on the bottom
of a very large stewpan, over them the knuckles of veal, according to
the size of the turtle; then the inside flesh of the turtle, and over
the whole the members. Now moisten with the water in which you are
boiling the shell, and draw it down thoroughly. It may now be
ascertained if it be thoroughly done by thrusting a knife into the
fleshy part of the meat. If no blood appears, it is time to moisten it
again with the liquor in which the bones, &c. have been boiling. Put in
a large bunch of all such sweet herbs as are used in the cooking of a
turtle,--sweet basil, sweet marjoram, lemon thyme, winter savory, 2 or 3
bay-leaves, common thyme, a handful of parsley and green onions, and a
large onion stuck with 6 cloves. Let the whole be thoroughly done. With
respect to the members, probe them, to see whether they are done, and if
so, drain and send them to the larder, as they are to make their
appearance only when the soup is absolutely completed. When the flesh is
also completely done, strain it through a silk sieve, and make a very
thin white _roux;_ for turtle soup must not be much thickened. When the
flour is sufficiently done on a slow fire, and has a good colour,
moisten it with the liquor, keeping it over the fire till it boils.
Ascertain that the sauce is neither too thick nor too thin; then draw
the stewpan on the side of the stove, to skim off the white scum, and
all the fat and oil that rise to the surface of the sauce. By this time
all the softer parts will be sufficiently cold; when they must be cut to
about the size of one or two inches square, and thrown into the soup,
which must now be left to simmer gently. When done, skim off all the fat
and froth. Take all the leaves of the herbs from the stock,--sweet
basil, sweet marjoram, lemon thyme, winter savory, 2 or 3 bay-leaves,
common thyme, a handful of parsley and green onions, and a large onion
cut in four pieces, with a few blades of mace. Put these in a stewpan,
with about 1/4 lb. of fresh butter, and let it simmer on a slow fire
till quite melted, when pour in 1 bottle of good Madeira, adding a small
bit of sugar, and let it boil gently for 1 hour. When done, rub it
through a tammy, and add it to the soup. Let this boil, till no white
scum rises; then take with a skimmer all the bits of turtle out of the
sauce, and put them in a clean stewpan: when you have all out, pour the
soup over the bits of turtle, through a tammy, and proceed as follows:--
QUENELLES À TORTUE.--Make some _quenelles à tortue_, which being
substitutes for eggs, do not require to be very delicate. Take out the
fleshy part of a leg of veal, about 1 lb., scrape off all the meat,
without leaving any sinews or fat, and soak in milk about the same
quantity of crumbs of bread. When the bread is well soaked, squeeze it,
and put it into a mortar, with the veal, a small quantity of calf's
udder, a little butter, the yolks of 4 eggs, boiled hard, a little
cayenne pepper, salt, and spices, and pound the whole very fine; then
thicken the mixture with 2 whole eggs, and the yolk of another. Next try
this _farce_ or stuffing in boiling-hot water, to ascertain its
consistency: if it is too thin, add the yolk of an egg. When the _farce_
is perfected, take half of it, and put into it some chopped parsley. Let
the whole cool, in order to roll it of the size of the yolk of an egg;
poach it in salt and boiling water, and when very hard, drain on a
sieve, and put it into the turtle. Before you send up, squeeze the juice
of 2 or 3 lemons, with a little cayenne pepper, and pour that into the
soup. THE FINS may be served as a _plat d'entrée_ with a little turtle
sauce; if not, on the following day you may warm the turtle _au bain
marie_, and serve the members entire, with a _matelote_ sauce, garnished
with mushrooms, cocks' combs, _quenelles_, &c. When either lemon-juice
or cayenne pepper has been introduced, no boiling must take place.
_Note_.--It is necessary to observe, that the turtle prepared a day
before it is used, is generally preferable, the flavour being more
uniform. Be particular, when you dress a very large turtle, to preserve
the green fat (be cautious not to study a very brown colour,--the
natural green of the fish is preferred by every epicure and true
connoisseur) in a separate stewpan, and likewise when the turtle is
entirely done, to have as many tureens as you mean to serve each time.
You cannot put the whole in a large vessel, for many reasons: first, it
will be long in cooling; secondly, when you take some out, it will break
all the rest into rags. If you warm in a _bain marie_, the turtle will
always retain the same taste; but if you boil it often, it becomes
strong, and loses the delicacy of its flavour.
THE COST OF TURTLE SOUP.--This is the most expensive soup brought to
table. It is sold by the quart,--one guinea being the standard price for
that quantity. The price of live turtle ranges from 8d. to 2s. per lb.,
according to supply and demand. When live turtle is dear, many cooks use
the tinned turtle, which is killed when caught, and preserved by being
put in hermetically-sealed canisters, and so sent over to England. The
cost of a tin, containing 2 quarts, or 4 lbs., is about £2, and for a
small one, containing the green fat, 7s. 6d. From these about 6 quarts
of good soup may be made.
[Illustration: THE TURTLE.]
THE GREEN TURTLE.--This reptile is found in large numbers on the
coasts of all the islands and continents within the tropics, in
both the old and new worlds. Their length is often five feet and
upwards, and they range in weight from 50 to 500 or 600 lbs. As
turtles find a constant supply of food on the coasts which they
frequent, they are not of a quarrelsome disposition, as the
submarine meadows in which they pasture, yield plenty for them
all. Like other species of amphibia, too, they have the power of
living many months without food; so that they live harmlessly
and peaceably together, notwithstanding that they seem to have
no common bond of association, but merely assemble in the same
places as if entirely by accident. England is mostly supplied
with them from the West Indies, whence they are brought alive
and in tolerable health. The green turtle is highly prized on
account of the delicious quality of its flesh, the fat of the
upper and lower shields of the animal being esteemed the richest
and most delicate parts. The soup, however, is apt to disagree
with weak stomachs. As an article of luxury, the turtle has only
come into fashion within the last 100 years, and some hundreds
of tureens of turtle soup are served annually at the lord
mayor's dinner in Guildhall.
A GOOD FAMILY SOUP.