The complete cook book

Take large or medium-sized oysters from their own liquor, dry them, and dip each oyster in flour or rolled cracker until it will hold no more, and drop them one by one into hot lard or olive oil, and fry. The fire must be moderate or the oysters will scorch before cooking through. They are also very nice rolled in corn meal. When brown take up and season with salt and pepper. Serve hot. Some prefer their oysters dipped in a batter made of one egg and one tablespoonful of milk, then rolled in equal portions of corn meal and flour. Serve with pickle. SCALLOPED OYSTERS OR SCALLOPED CLAMS. One pint of solid oysters, one-third cup of melted butter, two cupfuls of cracker or bread crumbs ; strain the oyster liquor, and heat it ; add the melted butter with an equal quantity of milk or cream; season with salt and pepper; butter a shallow baking dish, put in a layer of crumbs, then a layer of oysters; season with two or three drops of lemon juice or vinegar; moisten each layer with the hot oyster liquor; put in another 38 The Complete Cook Book. layer of crumbs and oysters and so on until your dish is full, with a thick layer of crumbs on top; moisten with oyster liquor, dot with butter, and lay a strip or two of nice breakfast bacon on top and bake to a golden brown. DEVILED OYSTERS. Drain one quart of oysters; chop thoroughly and season with cayenne pepper, lemon juice, salt and yolks of two hard-boiled eggs, and yolks of two raw eggs beaten and stirred in ; one-half as much bread crumbs as you have oysters, and one large tablespoonful butter. Have ready one dozen deep shells, nicely cleaned, and fill them with the oysters ; sprinkle with bread crumbs, and bake in a few minutes. OYSTERS COOKED IN THE SHELLS. Wash and scrub the shells, and put them in a pan with the round side down (to hold the juice), and cook either in a hot oven, on the top of a hot stove, on a gridiron over the coals, or in a steamer, ten to twenty minutes. When the shells open, the oysters are done. Remove the upper shell; season the oyster on the lower shell with butter, pepper, salt and vinegar, and serve at once. Or take from the shells, put into a hot dish, season, and serve immediately. There is no other way of cooking the oyster in which the natural flavor is so fully developed. PIGS IN BLANKETS. Take as many large or medium-sized oysters as desired ; wash and dry them thoroughly ; pin each oyster in a thin slice of breakfast bacon with a wooden toothpick. Broil them until the bacon is crisp and brown; do not remove toothpicks ; serve hot on toast, garnished with watercress and poached eggs. CREAM OYSTERS IN THE SHELL. Place a saucepan with a cup of water, one of milk and one of cream, with a pinch of soda, in a kettle of hot water until it boils, when stir in two tablespoonfuls The Complete Cook Book. 39 of butter and also a little pepper and salt. Eemove from fire and add two large tablespoonfuls of cornstarch wet in cold milk. The shells should have been prepared for the mixture with a nice oyster in each. I find clam shells much more convenient, being more regular in shape. Arrange in large baking pan. Give the cream a final beat and with a spoon fill the shells. Bake five minutes in a hot oven and serve in shells. All milk can be used instead of cream. ANGELS ON HORSEBACKK Is now one of the favorite savories. Slice thinly some rather fat bacon, roll an oyster in each slice, and slip each as done on a thin skewer ; fry them only just enough to crisp the bacon, and serve each on a triangular crouton of fried bread, dusted with a little cayenne, and just touched with a squeeze of lemon juice. Deviled or roasted oysters, served in the deep shell, are always a satisfactory epilogue to a dinner, even as raw ones are the best possible prologue. OYSTEES, DUCHESSE STYLE.