On the Half Shell.
Not until just before serving should they be opened. Marketmen often
furnish some one to do this. Six large oysters are usually allowed
each person. Left in half the shell, they are placed on a dinner
plate, with a thin slice of lemon in the centre of the dish.
On a Block of Ice.
Having a perfectly clear and solid block of ice, weighing ten or
fifteen pounds, a cavity is to be made in the top of it in either of
two ways. The first is to carefully chip with an ice pick; the other,
to melt with heated bricks. If the latter be chosen the ice must be
put into a tub or large pan, and one of the bricks held upon the
centre of it until there is a slight depression, yet sufficient for
the brick to rest in. When the first brick is cold remove it, tip the
block on one side, to let off the water, and then use another brick.
Continue the operation till the cavity will hold as many oysters as
are to be served. These should be kept an hour previous in a cool
place; should be drained in a colander, and seasoned with salt, pepper
and vinegar. After laying two folded napkins on a large platter, to
prevent the block from slipping, cover the dish with parsley, so that
only the ice is visible. Stick a number of pinks, or of any small,
bright flowers that do not wilt rapidly, into the parsley. Pour
oysters into the space in the top of the ice, and garnish with thin
slices of lemon. This gives an elegant dish, and does away with the
unsightly shells in which raw oysters are usually served. It is not
expensive, for the common oysters do as well as those of good size.
Indeed, as many ladies dislike the large ones, here is an excellent
substitute for serving in the shell, particularly as the oysters
require no seasoning when once on the table. A quart is enough for a
party of ten; but a block of the size given will hold two quarts.
Roasted Oysters on Toast.
Eighteen large oysters, or thirty small ones, one teaspoonful of
flour, one table-spoonful of butter, salt, pepper, three slices of
toast. Have the toast buttered and on a hot dish. Put the butter in a
small sauce-pan, and when hot, add the dry flour. Stir until smooth,
but not brown; then add the cream, and let it boil up once. Put the
oysters (in their own liquor) into a hot oven, for three minutes; then
add them to the cream. Season, and pour over the toast. Garnish the
dish with thin slices of lemon, and serve very hot. It is nice for
lunch or tea.
Oysters Panned in their Own Liquor.
Eighteen large, or thirty small, oysters, one table-spoonful of
butter, one of cracker crumbs, salt and pepper to taste, one
teaspoonful of lemon juice, a speck of cayenne. Put the oysters on in
their own liquor, and when they boil up, add seasoning, butter and
crumbs. Cook one minute, and serve on toast.
Oysters Panned in the Shell.
Wash the shells and wipe dry. Place them in a pan with the round shell
down. Set in a hot oven for three minutes; then take out, and remove
the upper shell. Put two or three oysters into one of the round
shells, season with pepper and salt, add butter, the size of two peas,
and cover with cracker or bread crumbs. Return to the oven and brown.
Oyster Sauté.
Two dozen large, or three dozen small, oysters, two table-spoonfuls of
butter, four of fine cracker crumbs, salt, pepper. Let the oysters
drain in the colander. Then season with salt and pepper and roll in
the crumbs. Have the butter very hot in a frying-pan, and put in
enough of the oysters to cover the bottom of the pan. Fry crisp and
brown, being careful not to burn. Serve on hot, crisp toast.
Oysters Roasted in the Shell.
Wash the shells clean, and wipe dry. Place in a baking pan, and put in
a hot oven for about twenty minutes. Serve on hot dishes the moment
they are taken from the oven. Though this is not an elegant dish, many
people enjoy it, as the first and best flavor of the oysters is
retained in this manner of cooking. The oysters can, instead, be
opened into a hot dish and seasoned with butter, salt, pepper and
lemon juice. They should be served immediately.
Little Pigs in Blankets.
Season large oysters with salt and pepper. Cut fat English bacon in
very thin slices, wrap an oyster in each slice, and fasten with a
little wooden skewer (toothpicks are the best things). Heat a frying-
pan and put in the "little pigs." Cook just long enough to crisp the
bacon--about two minutes. Place on slices of toast that have been cut
into small pieces, and serve immediately. Do not remove the skewers.
This is a nice relish for lunch or tea; and, garnished with parsley,
is a pretty one. The pan must be very hot before the "pigs" are put
in, and then great care must be taken that they do not burn.
Fricasseed Oysters.
One hundred oysters (about two quarts), four large tablespoonfuls of
butter, one teaspoonful of chopped parsley, one table-spoonful of
flour, a speck of cayenne, salt, yolks of three eggs. Brown two table-
spoonfuls of the butter, and add to it the parsley, cayenne and salt
and the oysters, well drained. Mix together the flour and the
remainder of the butter and stir into the oysters when they begin to
curl. Then add yolks, well beaten, and take immediately from the fire.
Serve on a hot dish with a garnish of fried bread and parsley.
Creamed Oysters.
A pint of cream, one quart of oysters, a small piece of onion, a very
small piece of mace, a table-spoonful of flour, and salt and pepper to
taste. Let the cream, with the onion and mace, come to a boil. Mix
flour with a little cold milk or cream, and stir into the boiling
cream. Let the oysters come to a boil in their own liquor, and skim
carefully. Drain off all the liquor, and turn the oysters into the
cream. Skim out the mace and onions, and serve.
Crôustade of Oysters.
Have a loaf of bread baked in a round two-quart basin. When two or
three days old, with a sharp knife cut out the heart of the bread,
being careful not to break the crust. Break up the crumbs very fine,
and dry them slowly in an oven; then quickly fry three cupfuls of them
in two table-spoonfuls of butter. As soon as they begin to look golden
and are crisp, they are done. It takes about two minutes over a hot
fire, stirring all the time. Put one quart of cream to boil, and when
it boils, stir in three table-spoonfuls of flour, which has been mixed
with half a cupful of cold milk. Cook eight minutes. Season well with
salt and pepper. Put a layer of the sauce into the _crôustade_
then a layer of oysters, which dredge well with salt and pepper; then
another layer of sauce and one of fried crumbs. Continue this until
the _crôustade_ is nearly full, having the last layer a thick one
of crumbs. It takes three pints of oysters for this dish, and about
three teaspoonfuls of salt and half a teaspoonful of pepper. Bake
slowly half an hour. Serve with a garnish of parsley around the dish,
Escaloped Oysters.
Two quarts of oysters, half a cupful of butter, half a cupful of cream
or milk, four teaspoonfuls of salt, half a teaspoonful of pepper, two
quarts of stale bread crumbs, and spice, if you choose. Butter the
escalop dishes, and put in a layer of crumbs and then one of oysters.
Dredge with the salt and pepper, and put small pieces of butter here
and there in the dish. Now have another layer of oysters, seasoning as
before; then add the milk, and, finally, a thick layer of crumbs,
which dot with butter. Bake twenty minutes in a rather quick oven. The
crumbs must be light and flakey. The quantity given above is enough to
fill two dishes.
Escaloped Oysters, No. 2.
Put a layer of rolled crackers in an oval dish, and then a layer of
oysters, and lay on small pieces of butter. Dredge with salt and
pepper, and moisten well with milk (or equal parts of milk and water).
Add another layer of cracker and of oysters, and butter, dredge and
moisten as before. Continue these alternate layers until the dish is
nearly full; then cover with a thin layer of cracker and pieces of
butter. If the dish be a large one, holding about two quarts, it will
require an hour and a half or two hours to bake.
Oysters Served in Escalop Shells.
The shells may be tin, granite-ware, or silver-plated, or, the natural
oyster or scollop shells. The ingredients are: one quart of oysters,
half a pint of cream or milk, one pint of bread crumbs, one table-
spoonful of butter, if cream is used, or three, if milk; salt and
pepper, a grating of nutmeg and two table-spoonfuls of flour. Drain
all the liquor from the oysters into a stew-pan. Let it come to a
boil, and skim; then add the cream or milk, with which the flour
should first be mixed. Let this boil two minutes, and add the butter,
salt, pepper and nutmeg, and then the oysters. Take from the fire
immediately. Taste to see if seasoned enough. Have the shells
buttered, and sprinkled lightly with crumbs. Nearly fill them with the
prepared oysters; then cover thickly with crumbs. Put the shells in a
baking-pan, and bake fifteen minutes. Serve very hot, on a large
platter, which garnish with parsley. The quantity given above will
fill twelve common-sized shells.
Oyster Chartreuse.
One quart of oysters, one pint of cream, one small slice of onion,
half a cupful of milk, whites of four eggs, two table-spoonfuls of
butter, salt, pepper, two table-spoonfuls of flour, one cupful of
fine, dry bread crumbs, six potatoes. Pare and boil the potatoes. Mash
fine and light, and add the milk, salt, pepper, one spoonful of
butter, and then the whites of the eggs, beaten to a stiff froth. Have
a two-quart charlotte russe mould well buttered, and sprinkle the
bottom and sides with the bread crumbs (there must be butter enough to
hold the crumbs). Line the mould with the potato, and let stand for a
few minutes. Put the cream and onion on to boil. Mix the flour with a
little cold milk or cream--about one-fourth of a cupful--and stir into
the boiling cream. Season well with salt and pepper, and cook eight
minutes. Let the oysters come to a boil in their own liquor. Skim
them, and drain of all the juice. Take the piece of onion from the
sauce, and add the oysters. Taste to see if seasoned enough, and turn
gently into the mould. Cover with the remainder of the potato, being
careful not to put on too much at once, as in that case the sauce
would be forced to the top. When covered, bake half an hour in a hot
oven. Take from the oven ten minutes before dishing time, and let it
stand on the table. Place a large platter over the mould and turn both
dish and mould at the same time. Remove the mould very gently. Garnish
the dish with parsley, and serve. A word of caution: Every part of the
mould must have a thick coating of the mashed potato, and when the
covering of potato is put on no opening must be left for sauce to
escape.