Diamond back or salt water terrapin are best. Fresh water terrapin may be used for croquettes and puree. Clean the terrapin by placing in fresh water for six hours. Wash in warm water and then place them alive in boiling water. Cook for five minutes. Remove and then rub with a coarse cloth the neck, legs and tail to remove the skin. Wash again. Return to the pot. Cook until the legs leave the body easily. Usually about thirty-five minutes for small terrapin and seventy-five minutes for large ones. The age and condition determine the time of cooking. Cool. Now, before it is entirely cold, separate the terrapin from the shell, discard the small intestines, shell, gall, etc. Cut the meat into pieces.
Cook in cream sauce for a la Maryland; in brown sauce for a la mode or stewed terrapin.
Open a can of snapper into a china bowl and let stand for one hour; place in a saucepan.
Two cups of water, Four tablespoons of cornstarch, dissolved in water, Faggot of soup herbs, Two cloves, Two tablespoons of butter, One and one-half teaspoons of salt, One teaspoon of paprika, Juice of one lemon, Grated rind of one-fourth lemon.
Bring to a boil and cook slowly for fifteen minutes; then add the snapper meat, heat slowly 10 minutes, serve.
The selection of steak depends entirely upon the number of persons to be served. A steak cannot be classed as a cheap meat; the portions of bone and trimming makes this meat a rare luxury in these times of high prices.
Yet there come times when the men folk want steak--and steak it must be. There are three kinds of meats that are cut into steaks; namely, the loin, rump and round. All three will make delicious eating if properly prepared.
The round steak has the least waste, and if steaks are taken from the first three cuts they should be tender and juicy, providing they are cut sufficiently thick and are properly cooked.
The rump steak is fully as tender and palatable as loin and it contains about one-third less waste. The sirloin is the choicest cut in the whole carcass and it contains a proportionately large amount of waste.
Have the butcher cut the round steak one-half inch thick and then pound it with a meat ax to break the tough tissues. Place on a platter and brush with salad oil and let stand for one-half hour. Now broil in the usual manner, turning every four minutes. Lift to a hot platter and spread with choice meat butters given below.