Cookery for every household

Put the oysters into a small saucepan with their own liquor, bring them almost to the boil, then strain, saving the liquor. Beard the oysters (that is, remove the piece like a fringe that encircles them), cut them in two, and put them aside for serving in the soup. Put the beards into a saucepan with the liquor and the stock, and let them simmer for half an hour, to extract all the flavour from them. If the stock is not previously well flavoured, small pieces of the different flavouring vegetables should also be cooked in it. Strain through a fine hair sieve or piece of muslin, and rinse out the saucepan ready for use. First melt in it the butter being careful it does not brown, add to it the flour, and mix together until quite smooth. Pour on the stock, and stir constantly over the fire until boiling. Skim if necessary. Season to taste with a little white pepper, salt, anchovy essence, and a pinch of cayenne. Beat up the yolks of eggs in a basin with the cream, draw the pan with the soup in it to the side of the fire, and strain them into it, stirring all the time. Reheat, but do not boil again. Add a squeeze of lemon juice. Put the oysters into the soup tureen, pour the soup over them, and serve. Note. — The cream may be omitted if considered too rich. Time to cook, 1 hour. Quantity, 2 pints. 179. Shrimp Soup (Bisque de Crevettes) 1 pt. boiled shrimps. 2 pts. white or fish stock. 1 oz. butter. 1 oz. flour. A pinch of cayenne. 1 tea-sp. anchovy or shrimp essence. A squeeze of lemon juice. 1 gill cream. 1 or 2 yolks of eggs. Wash the shrimps and peel them. Put the shells into a saucepan with the stock, and simmer them slowly for 15 minutes to extract the flavour. Strain through muslin and throw the shells away. Melt the butter in the pan, being careful it does not brown, add the flour and mix with a wooden spoon until smooth. Pour on the strained stock, stir over the fire until boding and skim if necessary. Season to taste, add the picked shrimps and simmer 5 minutes longer. Draw the pan to the side of the fire, strain in the yolks of egg and cream mixed together, and stir over the fire a minute or two, being careful the soup does not boil again. Add a squeeze of lemon juice just before serving. Note. — This soup may be made plainer by omitting the egg and cream and using rather more butter and flour for thickening. A little milk, too, may be used instead of some of the stock to make the soup a white colour. Time to cook, about 1 hour. Quantity, 2 pints. Perhaps there is nothing so difficult to cook well as fish, its delicate flavour is so easily lost, and its light, creamy flakiness so quickly destroyed. Many an otherwise successful cook has failed to acquire the art of cooking it properly. In most cases this failure may bo ascribed to ignorance of, or neglect to follow the simple and elementary rules for the preparation, and various methods of cooking, this important and delicious article of diet. Patience, care, and attention to detail are all required in its preparation. Full directions in regard to choosing, cleaning, and the various methods of preparing and cooking the different kinds of-fish are given here. VARIOUS PRELIMINARIES ON CHOOSING FISH General Hints. — Fish to be good ought to be in season and very fresh.