European and American cuisine

Purée of Clams* — Take 1 pint of hard-shell clams with their liquor, 1 tablespoonfal butter, Yt cupful cream or milk, Ys tablespoonful cornstarch, Yt teaspoonful white pepper. Boil the clams in their liquor 2 minutes ; remove with a fork, and chop fine. Place a saucepan with the butter over the fire, add the flour, stir and cook 2 minutes ; strain the clam broth ; add 1 cupful broth to the saucepan, cook 2 minutes ; add the chopped clams and pepper, cook 10 minutes ; add last the cream or Y» cupful boiling milk. Lay 6 slices of buttered toast on a hot dish, pour the clam purée over it, and serve. Clam Fritters.— Mix 12 large fine-chopped clams with Yt pint fiour, 3 or 4 tablespoonfuls clam liquor, 2 eggs, Ys ounce melted butter, 1 teaspoonful baking-powder, and a little pepper ; drop with a tablespoonful small portions into hot fat, and fry like crullers. Or mix all the ingredients together with the yolks of 2 eggs ; beat the whites stiff, add them last ; add little more clam liquor ; bake in a frying-pan like small pancakes. MUSSELS. Mussels — How to prepare. — Scrape and wash 2 dozen mussels several times in cold water ; place in a saucepan, add 1 pint cold water, set over the fire, and boil until they open ; then remove, cut off the black part with a pair of scissors ; put in a clean saucepan, strain over the liquor ; they are then ready to use. Mussels & la Britannia. — Prepare 1 1½ dozen mussels as in foregoing recipe ; place a small saucepan with 1 fine-chopped onion and Vs cup white wine over the fire ; add I tablespoonfull tarragon vinegar, boil down to one half, remove, and, when nearly cold, add the yolks of 3 eggs and 2 ounces butter in small pieces ; set the saucepan in hot water and stir till thick, seasoning with little salt, the juice of 1 lemon, 1 teaspoonful fine-chopped parsley, and 1 teaspoonful fine-minced shallots ; take the mussels out of their liquor, put in a hot dish, pour the sauce over, and serve. Mussels à la Marinière. — Prepare 18 mussels as previously directed ; place a saucepan with 1 ounce butter over the fire, add 1 fine-chopped onion, cook 5 minutes; add 1 tablespoonf ul fiour, stir 5 minutes ; add Ys cupful mussel broth, 1 cupful white wine, season with 1 even teaspoonful seasoning salt, boil 5 minutes ; add 1 tablespoonful butter in small pieces, 1 teaspoonful chopped parsley and the mussels, then serve. Mussel Farci. — Prepare 18 mussels, cut them into small pieces ; fry 1 fine-chopped onion in 1 ounce butter, add 1 bruised clove of garlic, cook 5 minutes ; then add 1 tablespoonful fiour, stir 3 minutes ; add y^ cupful mussel broth, % cupful cream, stir and cook till smooth ; then add the mussels, season with salt and pepper ; add the yolks of 2 eggs ; fill this preparation in some clean mussel shells, sprinkle over some bread crumbs, and bake in hot oven till brown. Serve on a napkin. Mussels à la Villeroi. — Prepared the same as Oysters Villeroi. MUSSELS. 131