s, and put it
into a stewpan with its eggs, and sufficient fresh butter to stew it
well. Let it stew till quite hot throughout, keeping the pan carefully
covered, that none of the flavor may escape, but shake it over the
fire while stewing. In another pan make a sauce of beaten yolk of egg,
highly flavored with Madeira or sherry, and powdered nutmeg and mace,
a gill of currant jelly, a pinch of cayenne pepper, and salt to taste,
enriched with a large lump of fresh butter. Stir this sauce well over
the fire, and when it has almost come to a boil take it off. Send the
terrapins to the table hot in a covered dish, and the sauce separately
in a sauce tureen, to be used by those who like it, and omitted by
those who prefer the genuine flavor of the terrapins when simply
stewed with butter. This is now the usual mode of dressing terrapins
in Maryland, Virginia, and many other parts of the South, and will be
found superior to any other. If there are no eggs in the terrapin,
"egg balls" may be substituted. (See recipe.)
STEWED TERRAPIN, WITH CREAM.
Place in a saucepan, two heaping tablespoonfuls of butter and one of
dry flour; stir it over the fire until it bubbles; then gradually stir
in a pint of cream, a teaspoonful of salt, a quarter of a teaspoonful
of white pepper, the same of grated nutmeg, and a very small pinch of
cayenne. Next, put in a pint of terrapin meat and stir all until it is
scalding hot. Move the saucepan to the back part of the stove or
range, where the contents will keep hot but not boil; then stir in
four well-beaten yolks of eggs; do not allow the terrapin to boil
after adding the eggs, but pour it immediately into a tureen
containing a gill of good Madeira and a tablespoonful of lemon juice.
Serve hot.
STEWED TERRAPIN.
Plunge the terrapins alive into boiling water, and let them remain
until the sides and lower shell begin to crack--this will take less
than an hour; then remove them and let them get cold; take off the
shell and outer skin, being careful to save all the blood possible in
opening them. If there are eggs in them put them aside in a dish; take
all the inside out, and be very careful not to break the gall, which
must be immediately removed or it will make the rest bitter. It lies
within the liver. Then cut up the liver and all the rest of the
terrapin into small pieces, adding the blood and juice that have
flowed out in cutting up; add half a pint of water; sprinkle a little
flou
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