Cookery for every household

Beard the number of oysters required. Put the beards into a saucepan with the oyster liquor, and simmer them a few minutes to extract the flavour, and then strain. Then take some cooked haddock, smoked haddock is best, and chop it finely. Add to it the butter, yolk of egg, and enough oyster liquor to moisten and make a paste. Season to taste, pound well together, and if possible rub through a sieve. Have ready some small round croutes of bread fried until brown. Put some of the mixture on each, make a little hollow in the centre, into which place an oyster. Cover with the fish mixture and smooth over with a knife. Cover the croutes with buttered paper and put them in the oven to heat. Then garnish with strips of green gherkin or truffles, and serve very hot, 2383. Little Oyster Boats (Barquettes d’Huitres) A little pastry. 1 doz. oysters. 3 table-sps. thick bechamel sauce. 2 table-sps. grated cheese. 1 egg- Seasoning. Roll out some scraps of plain pastry very thinly and line a dozen small boat-shaped moulds. Prick the pastry at the bottom, fine the moulds with a little paper and some rice, and bake them in the oven but not too brown. When ready, remove the little cases from the moulds. Scald the oysters in their own liquid, strain them, and cut them in 3 or 4 pieces according to size. Then make 2 or 3 table-spoonfuls of good white sauce, rather thick, season it, and add the yolk of an egg and a good table-spoonful of grated cheese. Mix well, and then stir in half the white of the egg beaten to a stiff froth. Put a little of this souffle mixture into each pastry case, lay some pieces of oyster on the top, and cover with more souffle. Sprinkle the top with grated cheese, and place the little boats in the oven until the mixture is brown and risen. Serve as a small entree or hot savoury. 2384. Potted Meat Toast Take any nice potted meat, and mix it with enough cream or good sauce to make it of a softish consistency. Then spread this rather thickly on neat-shaped, pieces of crisp toast and smooth over with a knife. Sprinkle the top with grated cheese and put the toast in the oven to become thoroughly hot and brown. Serve at once, garnished with parsley or seasoned watercress. Note. — Instead of the cheese the croutes may bo sprinkled with chopped nuts or chopped pickles, or thin strips of filleted anchovy may be laid across them. 2385. Smoked Salmon a la Diable (Saumon fume a la Diable) Smoked salmon. I Croutons of toast or fried Devilled paste or butter, j bread. Prepare some round croutons of toast or fried bread and spread them with devilled paste or butter (see Recipe 763 or 764). Lay a few thin slices of smoked salmon on the top of each, and. cover with a little more of the paste or butter. Place the croutes in the oven until thoroughly hot, and then serve them at once. Note. — Devilled biscuits may be used instead of the toast or fried bread. 2386. Sardine Croutes, 1 (Croutes de Sardines) 7 or 8 sardines. £ oz. butter. 1 shallot. £ gill white sauce. 1 oz. grated Parmesan. 1 dessert-sp. white wine. 1 table-sp. bread-crumbs Seasoning. 7 or 8 croutes fried bread