No. 187. Oyster Soup.—Strain the liquor from one quart of oysters and add as much water as you have oyster liquor, and put it on to boil, skim and add the oysters and let them simmer without boiling until they begin to grow plump and the edges to wrinkle, strain out the oysters and add to the liquor one pint of boiling milk thickened with a tablespoon of butter and two of flour seasoned to taste, boil five minutes, add the oysters, which have been kept hot, and serve.
No. 188. Stewed Oysters.—Although this is a very common dish and a simple one to prepare, many people fail in their attempt to make it. Boil one quart of milk in double boiler, add one pint solid oysters, butter, salt and white pepper to taste; when the oysters begin to wrinkle serve. Some prefer to add the butter just before taking up. The stew may be poured over common crackers split, buttered and peppered, or served plain with oyster crackers, separately.
No. 189. Oysters a la Newport.—Put one tablespoon of butter in saucepan, add one pint solid oysters, a tablespoon of chopped celery, salt and white pepper to taste, cover and simmer three minutes, add a wineglass of sherry and a wineglass of cream, simmer a couple of minutes longer and serve on toast. Mushrooms instead of the celery also make a delicious dish.
No. 190. Oyster Fritters, or Oysters Fried in Batter.—For this dish the oysters may be used whole or chopped. The batter everybody has their own way of making. Drain the fritters on paper as fast as taken up, and serve, on a napkin, garnished with parsley.
No. 191. Oysters au Gratin.—Parboil one pint small oysters, or if large cut in halves or quarters, then drain; add yolks of two eggs well mixed in a little milk, to half a pint boiling cream, season with salt, pepper, and a little mace; when beginning to boil add the oysters, and mix all well together. Have some large, smooth oyster shells all cleaned, and fill them with the mixture, cover lightly with bread crumbs and melted butter on top, bake until brown.
No. 192. Scalloped Oysters.—This is a most popular dish, but the number of cooks that don’t know how to make it properly is wonderful to contemplate. The following directions, strictly adhered to, cannot fail to produce satisfactory results: For one quart of solid oysters use one pint of pounded cracker crumbs, three oz. of butter, one gill of cream, half a gill of oyster liquor, pepper and salt to taste, and a suspicion of mace. Butter the baking dish and cover the bottom thickly with the pounded cracker, wet with oyster liquor and a little cream, then add a single layer of oysters, salt and pepper and a bit of butter on each oyster, then more crumbs, oysters and so on, until the dish is full, the top layer being crumbs, dotted over with bits of butter. Set in the oven with a plate or other cover and bake until the juice bubbles up to the top, then remove the cover and pour over the whole one glass of sherry or Maderia wine and return to the oven to brown slightly. The wine may be omitted if objectionable, but we know of no dish where a glass of wine so enhances its flavor.
No. 193. Oyster Pie.—Line a deep dish with a good puff paste, not too rich, roll out upper crust and lay on plate, just the size of pie dish, set it on top of the dish and put it into the oven, as the crust must be nearly cooked before the oysters are put in, for they require less cooking than the crust. While the crust is baking strain the liquor from the oysters and thicken with yolks of eggs boiled hard and grated (three eggs for one quart of oysters) add two tablespoons butter and the same of cracker crumbs, season with salt, pepper and nutmeg or mace. Let the liquor just boil, slip in the oysters, let it boil up once, then stir, remove plate with the crust, pour the oysters and hot liquor into the pie dish, put the top crust on and return to oven for five minutes.
No. 194. Oyster Patties.—Cut one quart of oysters into small pieces and stir into one cup rich drawn butter based on milk, season to taste, cook five minutes, fill the patty cases, heat two minutes and serve.
No. 195. Oyster Croquettes.—Parboil one pint of oysters, drain and chop, moisten with a thick cream sauce and the oyster liquor, add one teaspoon chopped parsley and bread or cracker crumbs sufficient to make the mixture firm enough to shape, season with salt, pepper and a little onion juice. Let the mixture get cold, then shape into croquettes and fry in hot fat in a frying basket if you have it, drain and serve on a hot napkin.
No. 196. Mayonnaise Dressing.—Set a bowl into cracked ice, and into it put yolks of three raw eggs, one tablespoon of dry mustard, one of sugar, speck of cayenne, and saltspoon of salt; beat all together with a good egg beater until light and thick, then add one pint of oil, beginning with a few drops at a time. When the dressing is quite hard add two table spoons of vinegar and the juice of one lemon, beating all the while; if too thick add more vinegar. When of right consistency set away to keep cool, and do not pour over the lobster until just before serving.