How To Dress Terrapins, No. 1

Have ready a pot of boiling water; drop the terrapins in the water alive, and if they are large, boil them an hour and a half, or two hours, or until you can pull the skin from the legs; if small, they will not take so long: when they are cold, take off the shells, pull out the claws, open the body, and take out very carefully the sand-bag and gall, without breaking the latter; cut off the heads, the remainder of the terrapin with the intestines are to be used, cut all into small pieces, and put it in a stew-pan, and for three large terrapins, allow three quarters of a pound of fresh butter, half a coffeecup of rich cream, with the yolks of two eggs beaten in it, half a saltspoon of cayenne pepper, a saltspoonful of salt, a little black pepper, two blades of mace, and a tablespoonful of flour rubbed in the butter, simmer ten minutes, add a tumbler and a half of good Madeira or Sherry wine, and serve.

Terrapin, No. 2

Boil and prepare the terrapins as in No. 1, mash very smooth the yolks of three hard-boiled eggs for each large terrapin, with a quarter of a pound of butter; stir in the liquor that ran from the terrapin when you cut it up, add salt and cayenne pepper to your taste, and simmer a few minutes until the meat is hot all through; add a glass of wine and serve.

For twelve small terrapins, one and a half pounds of butter, the yolks of eight hard-boiled eggs, half a teaspoonful of cayenne pepper, a teaspoon or more of salt, and a tumbler of wine.

Beef Terrapin

Procure a shin of beef, sawed through the bone in three places, making four pieces of it; put it in a vessel over the fire, cover it with boiling water, and throw in a tablespoonful of salt; keep a kettle of toiling water on the range or stove, to replenish it as it cooks away, as the meat must be kept covered with water all the time it is cooking; boil until perfectly tender, but not broken, which will take three or four hours, as it must not boil hard, but cook very gently. When the meat is done, take it out and set it aside to cool; the broth may be used for soup. When the meat is cold, cut it in dice about half an inch square, and season it with salt, cayenne pepper, three blades of mace and a little black pepper; melt over the fire a quarter of a pound of butter; when hot, put the meat in it, cook a few minutes, until it is beginning to brown; add a cup of cream, with a teaspoon heaping full of flour mixed smoothly in it; give it one boil up, stir in a glass of Sherry or Madeira wine, remove it from the fire and serve.

This is an excellent dish and a cheap one.

Calf's Head Terrapin

Cleanse and boil the head and brains, as for scallop; remove all the bones from the meat and set aside until perfectly cold; then cut it into small pieces, spread it on a dish with the brains, and season highly with cayenne and black pepper and salt; add two blades of mace; boil four eggs twenty minutes, lay them in ice-cold water for ten minutes, take off the shells and chop them up, add them to the meat; put all in a large stew-pan or porcelain-lined kettle; add a teacup of the broth the head was boiled in, a large coffeecup of cream, half a pound of butter, with two tablespoonsful of browned flour rubbed in it, and simmer until thoroughly hot all through; take from the fire and stir in a teacup of good cooking wine, and serve in a covered dish or oyster-, tureen.

Chicken Terrapin

Boil a chicken with the' giblets, which will take rather longer than the fowl; when thoroughly tender, set aside on a dish until entirely cold; then cut the fowl and giblets into small pieces, half an inch square, put all into a stew-pan, with cayenne pepper and salt, two blades of mace, three hard-boiled eggs chopped fine, a teacup of the broth the chicken was boiled in, a coffeecup of rich cream, and a quarter of a pound of butter with a heaping tablespoonful of flour mixed in it; set on the range, simmer for about ten minutes, or until the meat is thoroughly hot; then add a teacup of Madeira or Sherry wine and serve. This quantity is enough for six or eight persons.

Mock Terrapin Of Calf's Liver

Wash the liver before you cut it; then slice it half an inch in thickness; fry a nice brown, cut in small pieces, and to half a calf's liver add a piece of butter the size of an egg, a dessertspoonful of browned flour, a couple of blades of mace, a tea-spoonful of mixed or French mustard, a little cayenne pepper, and two hard-boiled eggs chopped; stir all well together, and add a cup of cream or water; stew slowly for five minutes, add a glass of wine and serve.