Stewed Oysters.- — This is an American dish, and in America it is sent up in a tureen, and helped into soup-plates. Open two dozen Oysters as carefully as possible, and save all the liquor. Strain the liquor, and wash the Oysters in it till they are free from grit. Lay them in a very clean stewpan, strain the liquor a second time and heat them slowly in it. When the Oysters are just beginning to simmer take them out with a slice, and take off the beards. Add to the liquor a quarter of a pint of cream, a pinch of cayenne, and a saltspoon- ful of salt. When this boils stir in from one to two ounces of butter smoothly mixed with at least a teaspoonful of flour. Continue stirring till the sauce is thoroughly smooth and all the ingredients well mixed together. How put in the Oysters, and let them remain by the side of the fire till they are very hot. On no account let them boil. The Oysters require so little cooking that if kept for four or five minutes nearly, not quite, simmering, they will be ready to seiwe. If too much stewed, or if allowed to boil, they will be hard. Stir a little lemon-juice✪ Stewed Oysters quickly into the stew as you take it from the fire. Seiwe at once in a hot tureen, and hand croutons of fried bread -with the stew. Oyster Patties. — Sauce Oysters can be used for these, and two should be allowed for each patty. Line some small patty- pans "with puff paste rolled thin, fill each with raw rice to preserve the shape, and either make covers of the paste or leave the patties open and cover the Oysters at the last with fried breadcrumbs. Bake the empty patties in a brisk oven. Beard the Oysters, blanch them in boiling water, taking care OYSTER PATTIES 109 that they do not boil. Cut them in small pieces and keep them hot. Make as much sauce as you can with the liquor and beards. Mix very smoothly a teaspoonful of flour and an ounce of butter, put it in a saticepan, shake it round and round over a gentle fire for two or three minutes. Add a dust of cayenne, a very little salt, and by slow degrees half a gill of cream✪ Oyster Patties. Give this a boil up, add the Oyster liquor strained through muslin, then the Oysters, and keep almost at a boil for two minutes. Fill the patty-cases with the Oysters and their sauce, and either replace the covers or grate breadcrumbs over the top. Oyster Patties can be served hot or cold. Oyster Sauce. — In this, again, plenty of Oysters should be used, so that no guest should have to search the sauce-boat for one in vain. The right allowance is eighteen Sauce Oysters to a pint of sauce, nine to half a pint. Put the Oysters with all their liquid and their beards into a small saucepan, and add enough fish broth to cover the Oysters with liquid. Heat over the fire just to boiling point, but on no account let it boil, or the Oysters will be as hard and as tasteless as bits of white leather. Keep the pan at the side of the hot plate for two minutes only. Drain the Oysters, take off their beards, and divide each in half. Strain the liquid, and thicken as usual with butter and flour for the sauce✪ Oyster Sauce. Some cooks add cream, but this makes the sauce too rich; milk and cream together is even worse, and fish broth is much better than the chablis sometimes used. Another way to determine the quantity of Oysters is to allow one, if small, to each person ; if the Oysters are very large half of one may be enough.

AI-modernized reading of the original text

A modernized reading is not available for this page yet. You are seeing the original text.

Stewed Oysters.- — This is an American dish, and in America it is sent up in a tureen, and helped into soup-plates. Open two dozen Oysters as carefully as possible, and save all the liquor. Strain the liquor, and wash the Oysters in it till they are free from grit. Lay them in a very clean stewpan, strain the liquor a second time and heat them slowly in it. When the Oysters are just beginning to simmer take them out with a slice, and take off the beards. Add to the liquor a quarter of a pint of cream, a pinch of cayenne, and a saltspoon- ful of salt. When this boils stir in from one to two ounces of butter smoothly mixed with at least a teaspoonful of flour. Continue stirring till the sauce is thoroughly smooth and all the ingredients well mixed together. How put in the Oysters, and let them remain by the side of the fire till they are very hot. On no account let them boil. The Oysters require so little cooking that if kept for four or five minutes nearly, not quite, simmering, they will be ready to seiwe. If too much stewed, or if allowed to boil, they will be hard. Stir a little lemon-juice quickly into the stew as you take it from the fire. Seiwe at once in a hot tureen, and hand croutons of fried bread -with the stew. Oyster Patties. — Sauce Oysters can be used for these, and two should be allowed for each patty. Line some small patty- pans "with puff paste rolled thin, fill each with raw rice to preserve the shape, and either make covers of the paste or leave the patties open and cover the Oysters at the last with fried breadcrumbs. Bake the empty patties in a brisk oven. Beard the Oysters, blanch them in boiling water, taking care OYSTER PATTIES 109 that they do not boil. Cut them in small pieces and keep them hot. Make as much sauce as you can with the liquor and beards. Mix very smoothly a teaspoonful of flour and an ounce of butter, put it in a saticepan, shake it round and round over a gentle fire for two or three minutes. Add a dust of cayenne, a very little salt, and by slow degrees half a gill of cream. Give this a boil up, add the Oyster liquor strained through muslin, then the Oysters, and keep almost at a boil for two minutes. Fill the patty-cases with the Oysters and their sauce, and either replace the covers or grate breadcrumbs over the top. Oyster Patties can be served hot or cold. Oyster Sauce. — In this, again, plenty of Oysters should be used, so that no guest should have to search the sauce-boat for one in vain. The right allowance is eighteen Sauce Oysters to a pint of sauce, nine to half a pint. Put the Oysters with all their liquid and their beards into a small saucepan, and add enough fish broth to cover the Oysters with liquid. Heat over the fire just to boiling point, but on no account let it boil, or the Oysters will be as hard and as tasteless as bits of white leather. Keep the pan at the side of the hot plate for two minutes only. Drain the Oysters, take off their beards, and divide each in half. Strain the liquid, and thicken as usual with butter and flour for the sauce. Some cooks add cream, but this makes the sauce too rich; milk and cream together is even worse, and fish broth is much better than the chablis sometimes used. Another way to determine the quantity of Oysters is to allow one, if small, to each person ; if the Oysters are very large half of one may be enough.

Mrs. Roundell's Practical cookery book