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Soup

Mock Turtle

A soup made from a calf's head, simmered and served in a tureen.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 3 ingredients
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Mock Turtle

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare the head

  1. Remove the brains from the calf's head.

  2. Wash the head several times in cold water.

  3. Soak the head in spring water for about an hour.

  4. Place the head in a stew pan.

  5. Cover the head with water.

Cook and finish

  1. Heat the stew pan over a clear fire, stirring gently to prevent burning.

  2. Empty the soup into a broad earthen vessel to keep cool.

  3. Add 2 quarts of soup to a pot, mix in ½ cup of boiling water or veal broth, and boil for about three minutes.

  4. Skim the soup.

  5. Serve the soup in a tureen.

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.

Explore the science

What each ingredient does

Calf's head
Provides the gelatin and body that give the soup its rich, thick texture.
Veal broth
Supplies the base liquid and savoury flavour for the soup.

The step that matters

Stirring gently over the fire. Stirring gently keeps the solids from sticking and scorching on the base of the pan, which would give the soup a burnt taste. Gentle heat also keeps the broth clear rather than cloudy.

“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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