Turtle Soup	Turtle Soup

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Mayfair Turtle Soup

Source: The Chet's Notebook at The Mayfair-Lennox Hotel Kitchens

Yield: 10 gallons, 200 cups. 130 bowls

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Ingredients

• 5 lb turtle meat, boneless; or 10 lb with bones

• 1/2 lb celery tops

• 4 oz whole mixed pickling spices

• 1 1/2 qt stock fat

• 2 1/2 lb carrots, coarse grind

• 2 1/2 lb onions, coarse grind

• 1 1/4 lb celery, coarse grind

• 2 lb flour

• 1 clove garlic, fine chopped

• 2 gal stock from turtle meat cooked the day before

• 7 1/2 gal good light brown gravy

• 3 oz Lea & Perrins Sauce

• 1 gal tomato puree

• 4 whole grapefruit cut into 1/4 in cubes (no skins)

• 20 boiled egg whites, diced 1/4 in (separate eggs first)

• One fifth sherry wine

• 1 onion with skins; cut onion in half and burn cut sides on top of stove

• 4 oz brandy

• Salt to taste

• Pepper to taste

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Preparation

Cook turtle meat with celery tops and 1 ounce pickling spices in stock a day ahead of use. Strain stock and save. Grind turtle meat and put in cooler with stock.

When ready to use, braise vegetables in stock fat, add flour and mix well. Then add stock, gravy, tomato puree, Lea & Perrin Sauce and garlic. Simmer slowly for about one hour, then add grapefruit and egg whites. Cut off heat and strain in a fumet made by reducing fifty percent of the sherry wine, 3 ounces pickling spices and burnt onion. Season with brandy, sat and pepper.

Note: Soup should be rich brown in color, not too light or too dark, and the consistency of heavy cream.