Mrs. Lincoln's Boston cook book

To cook or parboil Oysters in their Liquor. — Put them in a saucepan without water ; stir them, or shake the pan slightly ; as soon as heated, sufficient liquor comes from them to keep them from burning. When the edges curl or ruffle, and the oysters look plump instead of flat, they are cooked. Season with salt, pepper, and butter, and serve as a plain roast; or pour on toast, and call it a fancy roast. For Oyster Stew, see page 154. Smothered Oysters. — Put one tablespoonful of butter in a covered saucepan with half a saltspoonful of white pepper, one teaspoonful of salt, and a few grains of cayenne pepper. When hot, add one pint of oysters carefully prepared. Cover closely, and shake the pan to keep the oysters from The Boston Cook Booh. sticking ; cook two or three minutes, or till plump. Serve on toasted crackers. Creamed Oysters. — Make one cup of thick cream sauce (see page 190), and season with salt, pepper, cayenne, and celery salt. Wash and pick over one pint of oysters, and parboil until plump. Skim carefully ; drain and add them to the sauce. Serve on toast, and garnish the dish with points of toast; or the toast may be omitted, and bread crumbs browned in butter sprinkled over the oysters. When served in patty shells or in a vol-au-vent, make the cream sauce thicker. Fricasseed Oysters. — Cook one pint of oysters in hot butter till plump, as directed for smothered oysters. Drain, and Keep the oysters hot, and add enough cream to the oyster liquor to make one cupful. Cook one tablespoonful of flour in one tablespoonful of hot butter. Add slowly the hot cream and oyster liquor. Season with one teaspoonful of lemon juice, salt, and pepper to taste. Pour the sauce into one well-beaten egg, add the hot oysters, and heat one minute. Serve on toast if for breakfast ; or in paper cases, or patties if for lunch or dinner. Scalloped Oysters. — One pint of solid oysters, washed and drained ; one third of a cup of melted butter; one cup of cracker or stale bread crumbs, moistened in the melted butter. Butter a shallow dish ; put in a layer of crumbs, then a layer of 03'sters ; season with salt and pepper; and, if you like, add Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, wine, or mace. Then put in another layer of crumbs, then oysters and seasoning, with a thick layer of crumbs on the top. Bake in a hot oven about twenty minutes, until the crumbs are brown. Many prefer to heat the oyster liquor and the butter with an equal quantity of milk or cream, and use more cracker. Moisten each layer of cracker with the hot liquid. Reserve the larger part of the butter for the top layer of crumbs. In this way a larger dish may be prepared with the same quantity of oysters. Oysters en Coquille. — Prepare as for scalloped oysters. Put one or two very large or several smaller oysters in The Boston Cook Book. oyster or scallop shells ; season, and cover with buttered crumbs. Bake till the crumbs are brown. Place the shells on small plates, and serve one to each person. Large scallop shells may be obtained at the fish market, then cleaned and used several times. Tin, granite, or silver shells may also be used.