FoodNetArchive

Recipes for the million

1891

Page 160

Presented as published in 1891. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
OYSTER PATTIES. — Line some patty-pans with puff paste, fill each with a piece of bread, put on the crust, and bake. Cut up the oysters and simmer them for a few minutes in some of their liquor ; with a little cream, grated lemon peel, nutmeg, pepper, and salt ; then remove the top crust of the patties, take out the bread, fill with the simmered oysters, place the crust on again, and serve. 144 OYSTER POWDER, for Sauce, &c. — Take three dozen oysters, put them into a mortar with a quarter of an ounce of salt, pound them well, and rub them through the back of a hair sieve. Dry the mortar, put the oysters into it again with half a pound of flour ; mix to a paste, roll it out the thickness of a penny, and bake it in a gentle oven until it begins to crumble ; then pound, sift, put into bottles, and seal over the corks. OYSTERS (BROILED). — Dip them in flour and put them over a clear fire on a buttered gridiron. When done put a piece of butter on each, and serve as quickly as possible. OYSTERS (CURRIED), Indian Style. — Melt some butter in a saucepan, put to it an onion cut into thin slices, and fry it a rich brown colour ; stir in more butter with a spoonful of curry powder, then add gradually some good broth. When the whole has boiled up, add a minced apple and some grated cocoanut ; simmer till the apple is dissolved, then add salt according to taste, and thicken with flour ; boil for five minutes, and add the oysters with the liquor which comes from them ; simmer for a few minutes, then add a little lemon juice. Stir frequently till the oysters are done, and serve accompanied with boiled rice. OYSTERS (FRIED). — Make a light batter with flour, eggs, and milk ; add a little nutmeg, mace, shred parsley, and bread crumbs ; dip the oysters in, and fry them to a light brown. OYSTERS (PICKLED). — Choose large oysters for this purpose. Simmer them very gently in their own liquor for ten minutes, adding a little vinegar, white wine, mace, and pepper. Put them into a jar, one by one, so that no grit may adhere to them, and let them stand till cold ; then strain the liquor and pour over them, and keep closely covered with a bladder. OYSTERS (SCALLOPED). — Butter some tin scallop shells, strew in a layer of grated bread, cover the bread with thin slices of butter, and upon these lay the oysters. Pepper the whole well, add a little of the liquor kept from the oysters, put butter over the whole surface, and bake in a quick oven. Brown them with a salamander, and serve in their shells. Time, a quarter of an hour. A tart dish might be substituted for the scallop shells, and an iron shovel made red hot would answer the pur- pose of a salamander.