Handbook of practical cookery

Oyster Fritters. — One dozen large oysters, four ounces of flour, one gill of milk, one half tea-spoonful of lemon-juice, two eggs, one dessert-spoonful of salad oil, one half teaspoonful of salt, one half tea-spoonful of pepper. Drain the liquor from the oysters, and dry them each thoroughly with a towel. Spread them out upon a plate, keeping them as separate as possible, that they may develop no moisture from contact, while the batter is being prepared. Put the flour into a bowl, mix with it the pepper and salt, and making a little hole in the centre of this, drop into it the yolks of the eggs and the salad oil. Pour over the yolks of the eggs and the salad oil the milk by degrees, and mix the flour into it from the sides, taking care that it does not lump, then beat all smoothly together, and whipping the whites of the eggs to a stiff froth, mix this lightly into the batter. Pierce the oysters through the ear with a skewer, and lifting them in this way, dip them one by one into the batter, and throwing them into hot clarified fat or lard fry them, allowing each oyster to remain in four minutes. Drain off such superfluous grease as may cling to them upon a sheet of kitchen-paper, and arranging the fritters in a hot napkin, spray over them the lemon- juice. Cheese Fritters. — Three ounces of flour, one egg, one gill of tepid water, one salt-spoonful of salt, one half teaspoonful of pepper, three ounces of Parmesan cheese, one half tea-spoonful of dry mustard, one half ounce of butter. APPLE FRITTERS. 133 Put the flour into a bowl, and melting the butter, pour this into the centre of it. Add to this by degrees the water, beating all together meantime. Drop in the yolk of the egg, season with the pepper, salt, and mustard. Stir in also the grated cheese, and last of all the white of the egg, which must first be whipped to a froth. Dip from this mixture table-spoonfuls, and drop them one by one into hot clarified fat or lard. As the fritters become firm and arise to the top, turn them over with a skewer that they may brown evenly all around. As soon as they become brown, remove them from the fat, and place them upon a sheet of kitchen-paper to drain for a moment, when they must be piled tastefully upon a hot napkin, and served garnished with sprigs of parsley. NOTE. — Any strong old cheese that is dry enough to grate may be used instead of the Parmesan cheese for these fritters. Apple Fritters. — Three large apples, three ounces of flour, one dessert-spoonful of salad oil, one ounce of sugar, one gill of tepid water, white of one egg. The apples must be very thinly pared and cored, leaving them whole. They must be cut around into slices about a third of an inch in thickness. Put the flour into a bowl, and pour into the centre thereof the salad oil. Over this pour the tepid water, and beat all well together. Beat the white of egg to a stiff froth, and stir this into the batter very lightly, and when all is smoothly mixed, lift the slices of apple with a skewer, and dipping them into the batter, throw them one by one into hot clarified fat or lard, and fry them therein until the skewer will easily pierce them through, the time required for which depends upon the quality and kind of apple used.