Today is Tuesday. Work was intense, all 10 hours of it. I came home and ate some cheese with mayo on it because I’m not eating bread. I watched six segments of Scandinavian Film and Television. It’s interesting but if I were watching all of the films and documentaries described it would be much more fun–like seeing Babette’s Feast again after all this time. But I’m very tired so now I’ll just look for a photo to include and go to bed. Here’s the menu from Babette’s Feast instead of a photo.Thanks to Wikipedia of course..

The menu responsible for their pleasure features “Blini Demidoff au Caviar” (buckwheat cakes with caviar and sour cream); “Potage à la Tortue” (turtle soup); “Caille en Sarcophage avec Sauce Perigourdine” (quail in puff pastry shell with foie gras and truffle sauce); “La Salad” featuring Belgian endive and walnuts in a vinaigrette; and “Les Fromages” featuring Blue Cheese, papaya, figs, grapes and pineapple. The grand finale dessert is “Savarin au Rhum avec des Figues et Fruit Glacée” (rum sponge cake with figs and glacéed fruits). Numerous rare wines, along with various champagnes and spirits, complete the menu. Babette’s purchase of the finest china, flatware, crystal and linens with which to set the table ensures that the luxurious food and drink is served in a style worthy of Babette, who is none other than the famous former Chef of “Café Anglais”. Babette’s previous occupation has been unknown to the sisters until she confides in them after the meal.

And, for your cooking pleasure, here’s the recipe for the Turtle Soup.

POTAGE A LA TORTUE 
(Green Turtle Soup)

This recipe was taken from the notebooks of Adolphe Duglere, the
best known chef of the Cafe Anglais.

1 live green turtle (about 5 kilos)
1 recipe for consomme (recipe follows)
1 recipe for chicken-meat stock (recipe follows)
Madeira (or sherry)
l bouquet garni (basil, marjoram, rosemary, savory,
thyme and parsley tied together in muslin)
l bouquet garni of peppercorns and coriander
4 medium carrots
l small cabbage
1 turnip
1 large unpeeled apple
salt and pepper to taste
croutons for serving (recipe follows)

1. Slaughter the turtle and hang it to bleed for 3 – 4 hours.

2. Butcher the turtle, setting aside separately the breastplate
and carapace, the meat and the innards. Clean the innards well.

3. Cut the carapace and breast plate into pieces and plunge these
into a large pot with rapidly boiling water. Let the pieces
blanch for 5 minutes. Drain rapidly, run the pieces under cold
water and remove and discard the outer sheilds that cover them.

4. Place the cleaned pieces in a large saucepan and cover
generously with the consomme. To the saucepan both bouquet
garnis, the vegetables and the apple. Over a high flame bring
just to a boil. Immediately lower the flame and simmer gently,
uncovered, for about 7 hours.

5. While the consomme is simmering, bone the turtle meat and cut
into 1 cm cubes. Place the meat in the chicken-beef stock, bring
just to a boil, reduce the flame and let simmer just until the
meat is tender (about 2 hrs). Keep the meat warm in the stock.

6. When the carapace and breast plates have finished cooking,
strain the soup through a cloth, heat through and add 2 cups of
Madeira (or sherry) to each litre of stock. Heat through. A few minutes
before serving stir in two-three tsp. of the Amontillado sherry to be served with the meal.

7. Immediately before serving place the turtle pieces in the
soup. Garnish with the croutons and serve at once.

Note: This soup should be served with a medium-dry Amontillado
wine.

Note: If using tinned turtle meat, follow all of the above steps
simply substituting additonal turtle meat for the carapace and
breast plates used in preparing the stock.

From a blog: forums.egullet.org