Some persons like a little white pepper or cayenne, and a flavour-
ing of nutmeg added to the oysters ; others prefer pounded mace.
French cooks recommend with them a mixture of minced mushrooms
stewed in butter till quite tender, and sweet herbs finely chopped.
The fish is sometimes laid into the shells after having been bearded
only.
SCALLOPED OYSTERS 1 LA REINE.
Plump and beard the oysters, after having rinsed them well in
their own strained liquor ; add to this about an equal quantity of
very rich white sauce, and thicken it, if needful, with half a teaspoon-
ful of flour, mixed with a small slice of butter, or with as much
arrow- root only ; put in the oysters, and keep them at the point of
simmering for three or four minutes : lay them into the shells, and
cover the tops thickly with crumbs fried a delicate brown and well
dried ; or heap over them instead, a layer of fine crumbs ; pour cla-
rified butter on them, and brown them with a salamander
TO STEW OYSTERS.
A pint of small plump oysters will be sufficient for a quite mode-
rate-sized dish, but twice as many will be required for a large one.
Let them be very carefully opened, and not mangled in the slightest
degree ; wash them free from grit in their own strained liquor, lay
Common cooks merely stick small bits of butter on them.
CHAP. III.]
FISH.
87
them into a very clean stewpan or well -tinned saucepan, strain the
liquor a second time, pour it on them, and heat them slowly in
it. When they are just beginning to simmer, lift them out with a
slice or a bored wooden spoon, and take off the beards ; add to the
liquor a quarter of a pint of good cream✪ Stewed Eels, a seasoning of pounded mace,
and cayenne, and a little salt, and when it boils, stir in from one to
two ounces of good butter, smoothly mixed with a large teaspoonful
of flour ; continue to stir the sauce until these are perfectly blended
with it, then put in the oysters, and let them remain by the side of
the fire until they are very hot : they require so little cooking that,
if kept for four or five minutes nearly simmering, they will be ready
for table, and they are quickly hardened by being allowed to boil,
or by too much stewing. Serve them garnished with pale fried
sippets.
Small plump oysters, 1 pint : their own liquor : brought slowly to
the point of simmering. Cream, | pint ; seasoning of pounded mace
and cayenne ; salt as needed ; butter, 1 to 2 oz. ; flour, 1 large tea-
spoonful.
Obs.—A little lemon-juice should be stirred quickly into the stew
just as it is taken from the fire. Another mode of preparing this
quantity of rich bechamel , v idditional thickening ; then
to heat them in it, after having prepared and plumped them properly.
Or, the beards of the fish may be stewed for half an hour in a little
pale gravy, or good broth, and this, when strained and mixed with
the oyster-liquor, may be brought to the consistency of cream with
the French thickening of Chapter V., or, with flour and butter, then
seasoned with spice as above : the process should be quite the same
in all of these receipts, though the composition of the sauce is varied.
Essence of anchovies, cavice, chili vinegar, or yolks of eggs can be
added to the taste.
For Curried Oysters see Chapter XVI.
Page 103 · 2 recipe records on this page
Presented as published in 1884. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
Some persons like a little white pepper or cayenne, and a flavouring of nutmeg added to the oysters ; others prefer pounded mace. French cooks recommend with them a mixture of minced mushrooms stewed in butter till quite tender, and sweet herbs finely chopped. The fish is sometimes laid into the shells after having been bearded only.
SCALLOPED OYSTERS À LA REINE.
Plump and beard the oysters, after having rinsed them well in their own strained liquor ; add to this about an equal quantity of very rich white sauce, and thicken it, if needful, with half a teaspoonful of flour, mixed with a small slice of butter, or with as much arrow- root only ; put in the oysters, and keep them at the point of simmering for three or four minutes : lay them into the shells, and cover the tops thickly with crumbs fried a delicate brown and well dried ; or heap over them instead, a layer of fine crumbs ; pour clarified butter on them, and brown them with a salamander.
TO STEW OYSTERS.
A pint of small plump oysters will be sufficient for a quite moderate-sized dish, but twice as many will be required for a large one. Let them be very carefully opened, and not mangled in the slightest degree ; wash them free from grit in their own strained liquor, lay
Common cooks merely stick small bits of butter on them.
them into a very clean stewpan or well-tinned saucepan, strain the liquor a second time, pour it on them, and heat them slowly in it. When they are just beginning to simmer, lift them out with a slice or a bored wooden spoon, and take off the beards ; add to the liquor a quarter of a pint of good cream, a seasoning of pounded mace, and cayenne, and a little salt, and when it boils, stir in from one to two ounces of good butter, smoothly mixed with a large teaspoonful of flour ; continue to stir the sauce until these are perfectly blended with it, then put in the oysters, and let them remain by the side of the fire until they are very hot : they require so little cooking that, if kept for four or five minutes nearly simmering, they will be ready for table, and they are quickly hardened by being allowed to boil, or by too much stewing. Serve them garnished with pale fried sippets.
Small plump oysters, 1 pint : their own liquor : brought slowly to the point of simmering. Cream, | pint ; seasoning of pounded mace and cayenne ; salt as needed ; butter, 1 to 2 oz. ; flour, 1 large teaspoonful.
Obs.—A little lemon-juice should be stirred quickly into the stew just as it is taken from the fire. Another mode of preparing this
quantity of rich bechamel, with additional thickening ; then
to heat them in it, after having prepared and plumped them properly. Or, the beards of the fish may be stewed for half an hour in a little pale gravy, or good broth, and this, when strained and mixed with the oyster-liquor, may be brought to the consistency of cream with the French thickening of Chapter V., or, with flour and butter, then seasoned with spice as above : the process should be quite the same in all of these receipts, though the composition of the sauce is varied. Essence of anchovies, cavice, chili vinegar, or yolks of eggs can be added to the taste.
For Curried Oysters see Chapter XVI.
Records on this page
Stewed EelsOyster Sauce