Buckeye cookery

dish or pan, cover the bottom with crackers, put in a layer of oysters seasoned with salt and pepper and bits of butter in plenty, then a layer of crackers, then oysters, and so on until dish is full, finishing with the crackers covered with bits of butter; pour over the whole the oyster-liquor added to one pint of boiling water (boiled and skimmed), place in a hot oven, bake half an hour, add another pint of hot water, or half pint water and half pint of milk, in which a small lump of butter has been melted; bake another half hour, and, to prevent browning too much, cover with a tin or sheet-iron lid. All bread-crumbs, or a mixture of crackers and bread-crumbs may be used when more convenient. As the amount of liquor in oysters varies, and the proportion of crackers or breadcrumbs to the oysters also varies, the quantity of water must be ¢ : cord : : ; 7. ‘4 Ae Pah ‘ es Se ers tie faye ge TPSCT, ke AA Ue S we. pee, eae aie hata age SHELL-FISH 299 'fmereased or diminished according to judgment and taste. Some prefer to cook half the time given above. Boiled macaroni may be used in place of cracker-crumbs. Or, cover the bottom of a well-buttered baking dish with a layer of crumbs, and wet these with the cream or milk, one-half cup put in spoon by spoon, salt and pepper, and add bits of butter; add one quart of oysters and liquor, pepper and bits of butter. Then cover thickly with crumbs and on them place more pieces of butter. Place in oven and cover—this is very important, as the flavor is thereby not allowed to escape—and bake till the juice bubbles up, from half to three-quarters of an hour. Remove cover and brown in upper part of oven for a few minutes, not long. Serve in dish in which it was baked. FRIED OYSTERS. Drain carefully, remove all bits of shell, and sprinkle with pepper and salt, and set in a cool place for ten or fifteen minutes. Then, if oysters are small, pour them into a pan of crackers rolled fine, add the liquor, mix well, and let stand five minutes, add a little salt ~ and pepper, mold into small cakes with two or three oysters in each, roll in dry crackers until well encrusted, and fry in hot lard and butter, or beef-drippings. Serve hot in a covered dish. Or, dip the oysters in the yolk of eggs, well seasoned and beaten, then in corn meal with a little baking powder mixed with it, and fry in hot lard like doughnuts; or if you have frying basket, place them on that and drop it in the hot lard. Test the heat as for doughnuts. Or, drain thoroughly: put in a hot frying-pan, turn so as to brown on both sides. They cook in this way in a few moments, and the peculiar flavor of the oysters is well preserved. Serve on a hot covered dish, with butter, pepper and salt, or add a little cream just before serving, and serve on toast; or take two parts rolled crackers and one part corn meal, mix well, roll the oysters In it, and fry in equal parts butter and lard. Season with salt and pepper. ase W. W. Woods. Frrep OYSTERS. To fry oysters, take two dozen large oysters ( they are sold under different names and brands in different markets), drain off ee *, Saat ge ae 5 es da) RSET ee OS he Sh eh A ee PT dl et ee Ae 2 es re 7 Kes SRL eta ay i ras Bat 08) * BTA vie MCN el BUH eA Waa CaF free’ is 300 ss SHELL-FISH. have prepared cracker dust (bought of any grocer, or made by crushing with rolling pin), mix well one tea-spoon salt, take one oyster at a time, roll in cracker dust, and lay on a meat board or platter by itself until all are so encased, and laid in rows; let remain fifteen minutes, now take the oyster first rolled in cracker dust and dip in beaten eggs (yolk and white beaten together), then the second oyster, and so on until all are dipped, then roll in cracker dust,