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💊 Doctor's Orders 1894

Frog Broth and Puree

A pound of frogs' legs simmered with root vegetables and pounded into a purée for the sick.

From
The Epicurean
Published
1894
Yikes Scale
Yikes

Exactly as printed, 1894

Mince half a pound of celery, carrots, turnips, and leeks; fry them without letting them acquire a color in two ounces of butter, then moisten with two quarts of chicken broth or water, and add a pound of frog's legs and hind parts, half an ounce of chervil, and two ounces of lettuce, both cut very fine. Boil all slowly for three quarters of an hour, season with a little salt and sugar, then strain through a napkin and serve in cups.

For the Puree, pound the frog meat and add to it four ounces of bread-crumbs soaked in milk and then squeezed out. When all is well pounded, dilute with the same quantity of broth as above, and strain through a tammy; a little butter and milk may be added to advantage; this puree should be served in a clear state in cups.

The Epicurean, 1894. Public domain; transcription unaltered.

So what happens if I make it?

This is soup, and good soup. Frog is mild and lean, the vegetables are sweated rather than browned, and the result would be a delicate consommé.

It is on this site for its company rather than its danger. Ranhofer put it in the invalid-cookery section, which is where the era kept its strangest convictions about what the sick should eat.

Notes from the 21st century

  • Sweating, not browning, is the hinge. Frying the vegetables “without letting them acquire a color” is what keeps the broth clear. Keep the butter below a simmer.
  • The vegetable weight is ambiguous. “Half a pound of celery, carrots, turnips, and leeks” could be half a pound of each or in total. Half a pound total is the sensible reading.
  • Frogs' legs are ordinary ingredients. Sold frozen in pairs at plenty of counters. The only care needed is not to overcook them.

Also in this book

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