Mock turtle I from Erken's Stor kokebok (1914): a calf's head is cleaned, blanched, rubbed with lemon and simmered tender 2-3 hours; the meat is cut into strips and warmed in a brown sauce of butter, flour and head stock with Madeira, cognac, meatballs and fish balls and a little cayenne. Served hot with halved hard-boiled eggs around it.
Source: Henriette Schønberg Erken, Stor kokebok, 1914-utg. s. 215 (falt i det fri)
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About the dish
"Mock turtle" was a French-inspired festive dish that imitated real turtle soup using a calf's head. Erken gives two variants; this is the simpler one, with Madeira, cognac and meatballs and fish balls.
How to make it
1
Clean the head
Scald and scrape the calf's head. Split it carefully by cutting open the underside, and take out the tongue and brain. Put the head in water, preferably running, until it is completely free of blood.
2
Blanch
Put the head in cold water so it is covered, bring slowly to the boil and let it boil 15 minutes. Cool in cold water, take it out and rub the head with a cut lemon, so the meat does not darken.
3
Boil
Put the head straight over into boiling, salted water and boil 2-3 hours. Boil the tongue together with the head and take it out when it is tender. The brain is soaked and boiled separately.
4
Cut up the meat
Take the meat off the bones, put it on a platter until it is cold and cut it up neatly into strips or small squares.
5
Make the sauce
Brown the butter and flour, and thin with the strained stock into a smooth sauce.
6
Finish
Add the meat, meatballs, fish balls, Madeira, cognac, a very little cayenne pepper and salt to taste. Be careful with the cayenne - the flavor should not be dominant.
7
Serve
Serve the dish very hot on a slightly deep platter, with halved hard-boiled eggs placed around it.
Changes from the original
Amounts for meatballs, fish balls and eggs are estimated, as the original gives no figures. Deciliters are used for "del." The method has been split into modern steps; 1/4 hour is written as 15 minutes.
📖1914
Original 1914 recipe
Verbatim from the first edition of the Big Cookbook.
Foto: Faksimile: Nasjonalbiblioteket
ProofreadPage 215
1 kalvehode
90 gr. smør
80 gr. hvetemel
ca. 6 del. kraft av hodet
2 del. madeira
1 del. konjak
smaa kjøtboller
smaa fiskeboller
haardkokte egg
cayenne
salt
citron.
Hodet skoldes, skrapes, kløves forsigtig, idet man skjærer op undersiden; tungen og hjernen tages ut. Hodet lægges i vand, helst under rindende vand, indtil det er frit for blod. Hodet blancheres, d. v. s. det sættes over ilden i saa meget koldt vand, at hodet er dækket, bringes langsomt til kokepunktet, koker i ¼ time, avkjøles i koldt vand, tages op og gnides over med en overskaaren citron; dette gjør, at kjøttet ikke blir saa mørkt. Sættes derefter straks over i kokende, saltet vand. Kokes 2 à 3 timer. Tungen kokes samtidig med hodet, tages op, naar den er mør; hjernen utvandes og kokes for sig.
Naar hodet er kokt, tages kjøttet fra, lægges ut paa et fat for at bli koldt og skjæres pent op i strimler eller smaa firkanter. Smør og mel brunes, spædes med kraften. Kjøt, bollerne, vin, ganske litt cayenne og salt efter smak tilsættes. Vær varsom med bruken av cayenne, da smaken ikke maa være altfor fremherskende. Skildpadden serveres meget varm paa et litt dypt fat; haardkokte, overskaarne egg lægges omkring.
📖1949
Revised 1949 recipe
From the revised edition of the Big Cookbook.
Foto: Faksimile: Nasjonalbiblioteket
ProofreadPage 245
(Tete de veau en tortue.)
1 kalvehode
90 gr. smør
80 gr. hvetemel
ca. 6 del. kraft av hodet
2 del. madeira
1 del. konjakk
små kjøttbollar
små fiskeboller
hårdkokte egg
In stores now
Clean, minimally processed groceries matched to the ingredients — approximate prices.
1949 (proofread, p. 245) → 1914 (proofread, p. 215)~90% of the text changedremovedadded
(Tete de veau en tortue.) 1 kalvehode 90 gr. smør 80 gr. hvetemel ca. 6 del. kraft av hodet 2 del. madeira 1 del. konjakk små kjøttbollar små konjak smaa kjøtboller smaa fiskeboller hårdkokte haardkokte egg cayenne salt citron. Hodet skoldes, skrapes, kløves forsigtig, idet man skjærer op undersiden; tungen og hjernen tages ut. Hodet lægges i vand, helst under rindende vand, indtil det er frit for blod. Hodet blancheres, d. v. s. det sættes over ilden i saa meget koldt vand, at hodet er dækket, bringes langsomt til kokepunktet, koker i ¼ time, avkjøles i koldt vand, tages op og gnides over med en overskaaren citron; dette gjør, at kjøttet ikke blir saa mørkt. Sættes derefter straks over i kokende, saltet vand. Kokes 2 à 3 timer. Tungen kokes samtidig med hodet, tages op, naar den er mør; hjernen utvandes og kokes for sig. Naar hodet er kokt, tages kjøttet fra, lægges ut paa et fat for at bli koldt og skjæres pent op i strimler eller smaa firkanter. Smør og mel brunes, spædes med kraften. Kjøt, bollerne, vin, ganske litt cayenne og salt efter smak tilsættes. Vær varsom med bruken av cayenne, da smaken ikke maa være altfor fremherskende. Skildpadden serveres meget varm paa et litt dypt fat; haardkokte, overskaarne egg lægges omkring.
A dish of calf's head (tete de veau en tortue) from Henriette Schonberg Erken's Stor kokebok (1914), p. 215. The meat from the head is served in a Madeira-and-cognac sauce with small meatballs, fish balls and hard-boiled eggs. The recipe is intended for 6 servings.
How long should the calf's head boil?
The head is first blanched about 15 minutes in water brought slowly to a boil, cooled in cold water and then put in boiling, salted water and boiled 2-3 hours. The tongue is boiled at the same time. Reckon around 5 hours in total with preparation.
Why is the head rubbed with lemon?
After blanching and cooling, the head is rubbed with a cut lemon so the meat does not darken too much.
How is the head prepared before boiling?
It is scalded, scraped and split carefully by cutting open the underside; the tongue and brain are taken out. The head is then placed in water, preferably running, until it is free of blood.
