Terrapin Soup

Terrapin is a type of turtle common in the U.S. An unlikely ingredient in today's kitchen, turtle was once a staple meat in many households.

Put the shells, heads and trimmings of three terrapins into a saucepan with plenty of water and boil them gently for two or three hours, skimming it well the first time it bubbles. When all the good has been extracted from the shells, etc., strain the liquor into a clean saucepan, put in the pieces of terrapin meat and boil them for an hour; the fat should be added after the meat has boiled for a short time. At the end of an hour take out the pieces of terrapin and put them on a dish to cool, strain their liquor into a bowl; put the bones that have been separated from the meat into two quarts of water until all the gelatine has dissolved, then add the strained liquor, a bunch of thyme and parsley, one teaspoonful of bruised peppercorns, two cloves, one teaspoonful of chopped onion and half a blade of mace, and let it boil for about thirty minutes longer. Cut the cold meat of the terrapin into small square pieces, strain the soup into a clean saucepan, put in the meat and boil it up. Boil up one quart of cream in another saucepan, put one tablespoonful of flour, a lump of butter the size of a hen's egg into a saucepan, stir it over the fire until mixed, then pour in the boiling cream; strain this through a strainer into the soup. The soup should be served as soon as the cream is mixed with it.