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Terrapin a LA Newburg

A terrapin dish cooked with cream, eggs, Madeira, salt, pepper, and paprika.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
By Norton, Caroline Trask · From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 6 ingredients
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Why it works: Cream and pepper are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 23% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 21,449 recipes. Both carry acetic acid, which smells sour, vinegar. The science ↓

Terrapin a LA Newburg

four entrees

Ingredients

Directions

  1. Put one quart of terrapin and one cup of cream in a double boiler or chafing dish.

  2. Heat until well heated through.

  3. Add the well-beaten yolks of four eggs mixed with one cup of cream.

  4. Stir until it thickens.

  5. Season with salt, pepper, paprika, and two tablespoonfuls Madeira or sherry just before serving.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

57Calories
1 gProtein
6 gFat
2 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 3 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Cream1 tbsp (15ml) heavy51
Black Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Salt1 tsp (6g)0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

By Norton, Caroline Trask. Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures. See the original page.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Cream + peppertop 23% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together21,449 recipes

    Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).

Cream and pepper barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 21,449 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Terrapin
Forms the main body of the dish, giving it its meaty bulk and substance.
Cream
Adds richness and a smooth, moist texture to the sauce.
Egg yolks (in the method)
Thicken the cream as they set gently with heat, giving the sauce body.
Madeira
Adds a rich, aromatic sweetness and depth of flavour at the end.

The step that matters

Adding the egg yolks. Egg yolks thicken by gentle heat. If the mixture gets too hot or boils after they are added, the proteins scramble and the sauce turns grainy. Keep the heat low and stir steadily until it thickens.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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