No. 10.
TOMATO SOUP OR MOCK HOCK SOUP.
One quart of tomatoes, put on fire and let boil; when done mash through a sieve 3 tablespoonfuls of sugar, 1 teaspoonful nutmeg and mace together, and put in tomatoes, 1 tablespoonful of butter, mixed with a large tablespoonful of flour, stir all into the tomatoes, and put on to boil again; stir till it boils. Quarter of an hour before serving pour in 1 pint of milk. Pepper and salt to taste. Stir till it boils up nicely. Put in 2 tablespoonfuls wine just before dishing up.
No. 11.
FRIED OYSTERS.
For this purpose each and every oyster should be as large, plump, and fat—fresh, of course, not salt—as you can procure. Any small ones will serve for sauces, croquettes, soups, etc. Drain off their juice, put them in a bowl, cover them with ice water, let stand a few minutes, then place them in a colander and drain them. Dry between two thin, soft towels, without pressing them, and lay upon a moulding-board, slightly coated with cracker-dust, finely sifted. Beat up to a thick rich custard as many eggs and an equal measure of cream as you need for moistening all the oysters, adding, at the last, a saltspoonful of salt for every three eggs. Have ready a sufficiency of finely-sifted bread crumbs prepared by rubbing the heart of a stale loaf of white bread in a towel and pressing it through a sieve. Dip the oysters, one by one, into the beaten egg and roll them in the crumbs till covered in every part. By no means flatten them, but keep them as round and plump as possible; lay them on napkins and keep in a cool place for half an hour; again dip, roll in crumbs, and set aside for another half hour. Now lay them on the wire stand, not quite touching each other. Set the stand into a deep frying-pan nearly full of whatever frying mixture you use, which must be boiling hot, and fry quickly to a deep yellow color, but do not brown them, or they will be tough and greasy. Lift the stand out of the pan, drain quickly, and serve the oysters on a hot, white napkin, placed on a hot platter, and garnish with sprigs of parsley or water cress, stuffed olives, and small bits of lemon. The daintiest condiment of all is the French mayonnaise sauce served with lettuce.
No. 12.
FRICASSEED OYSTERS.
Fifty oysters, 6 ounces butter, 3 tablespoonfuls flour, 3 saltspoonfuls salt, 2 saltspoonfuls white pepper, 2 saltspoonfuls mace, 6 bay leaves, 1 quart cream, 4 yolks of eggs, 1 tea cupful bread crumbs. Put the oysters, with their juice, into a stewpan on a quick fire; give one boil, drain them, put them into a hot tureen, and set in a warm place. Rub the butter, flour, and 3 teaspoonfuls of scalding cream to a fine smooth paste, stir it quickly into the quart of cream in a bright stewpan on a quick fire. Add the salt and spice, and stir till it no longer thickens. Now put in the yolks of eggs, well beaten; stir till smooth, strain the whole through a fine sieve upon the oysters. Cover evenly with the crumbs and lightly brown in a quick oven.
No. 13.
SCALLOPED OYSTERS.
Half-gallon oysters for a three pint pudding dish; drain the oysters well, 1 pint of bread-crumbs, and put pepper, salt, and a little mustard, nutmeg or mace in the crumbs. Cover the bottom of dish with the crumbs. Put a layer of oysters with a small piece of butter, then a layer of crumbs. Continue this way till dish is full, then put 2 or 3 tablespoonfuls of cream on top. Put in a rather quick oven; let bake 20 minutes.
No. 14.
PICKLED OYSTERS.
Drain the oysters. To ½ gallon of pickled oysters, ½ pint cider vinegar. Heat the vinegar boiling hot. Put in spice enough to flavor, cloves, allspice and mace. Put the oysters in the hot liquor till they get hot; put a little salt in them; scoop them out of the hot liquor and put them right into the hot vinegar, and put in a covered dish and set away to cool.