FoodNetArchive

Harper's cook book encyclopædia

1902

Page 168 · 2 recipe records on this page

Presented as published in 1902. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
Oysters, Stewed Dry. — Cut slices of breakfast bacon into narrow strips, and the strips into bits about an inch long ; place them in a shallow fry- ing-pan, and let them cook slowly to a crisp brown ; then turn in a pint of oysters drained free from all liquor. After the oysters have been over the fire a minute or two, stir them gently. Cook about five minutes, and serve on a very hot platter garnished with toasted crackers. The oysters must be put to drain half an hour before they are needed, for too much liquor will stew out. Oysters, Stuffed. — Drain the liquid from one quart of nice, fat oysters ; plunge them one minute in boiling water, and drain well over a clean napkin. Remove the tendons, which are indigestible, trim the oysters neatly, and cool them thoroughly. Sprinkle over one salt-spoonful of pepper, then prepare fine herbs as follows ; Peel, wash, and drain in a napkin % lb. of fresh mushrooms ; chop them, put in a small saucepan one levelled table-spoonful of finely chopped shallots or white onions, and one table-spoonful of butter. Cook three minutes, stirring all the time ; it must not get brown. Add the mushrooms and one levelled table- spoonful of parsley, chopped ; cook three minutes more. Sprinkle over one teaspoonful of sifted flour; cook two minutes more; add half a gill of broth, or a quarter of a teaspoonful of beef extractOysters, Stuffed diluted in half a gill of warm water. Cook slowly eight minutes ; it must be quite thick. Remove from the fire and let it cool. Split the oysters in the side, but do not separate them. Divide the fine herbs in portions equal to the number of oysters, then put a layer in each, and close them gently. Cut as many thin, square slices of bacon as there are oysters, fry them over a slow fire for one minute on each side, cool them off, and on a skewer put one of the slices of bacon, then one oyster, repeating the same thing until the skewer is full. Put over the broiler, two minutes for each side. While broiling, have a table- spoonful of melted butter and baste the oysters ; serve very hot. A watercress-salad with French dressing and some hard-boiled eggs chopped and sprinkled over it would com- plete the dish. Oysters au Supreme, Scalloped. — Make first of all a white sauce by cooking together a heaping teaspoon- ful each of butter and flour, and add- ing to them slowly a pint of cream in which a bit of soda the size of a pea has been dissolved. Let this sauce cool before making the scallop. Drain all the liquor from your oys- ters, and put a layer of them in the bottom of a buttered pudding-dish. Sprinkle with dry cracker (not bread) crumbs, bits of butter, minced parsley, and a tiny pinch of celery-salt and white pepper. Now pour over all some of the cream sauce. Put in another layer of oysters, then more 146 Prawns in Shells FISH Flavoring seasoned crumbs and sauce, until the dish is full. The sauce must nearly cover the oysters. Over the top sprinkle crumbs and dot with pieces of butter. Cook in a hot oven until light brown in color, and serve at once. Prawns in Shells. — Pick the shells from five dozen prawns ; mix with one-quarter the quantity of stewed mushrooms, and four table-spoonfuls of white saucePrawns in Shells. Fill buttered shells with the mixture ; spread over with grated bread-crumbs which have been fried in butter. Arrange the shells in a baking-pan and set in the oven until thoroughly heated, and serve.