The new practical housekeeping

Oyster Stew. — Put oysters in stewpan with equal quantities water and juice, place over brisk fire, season with white pepper, bring to a boil, remove scum, add salt to taste, and pour into bowls with teaspoon butter in each. Cover bowls with plates and serve. A Cream Stew is made same way, adding cream instead of water. A Stew With Celery is made same as second recipe, adding a few stalks of celery cut up fine and a little mace. While cooking add teaspoon or two powdered cracker-dust and cup beef broth. Bring to a boil and pour in bowl lined with toast, well buttered and cut in half diamond shape. Or put in stewpan a pint each best beef broth and rich sweet cream; add four tablespoons choice butter, three teaspoons salt, two white pepper, two of ground mace and the cut celery, or, if this is not to be had, teaspoon celery extract ; stir in sifted cracker-dust to thicken slightly and when cooked, pour the sauce over fifty fine oysters, previously parboiled in their own juice and placed in tureen. Serve very hot. Oyster Toast. — Chop a dozen and a half good-sized oysters, season with white pepper and little nutmeg ; boil half a pint cream, put in oysters, let boil up once, take from fire, add salt to taste, stir in well-beaten yolks of four eggs and pour over slices of buttered toast. Oi beard and pound oysters in mortar to a paste, add a little cream, and season with pepper. Spread this on small slices of toast, and place for a few minutes in oven to heat. A little finely chopped lemon peel may be sprinkled upon the tops. • Oyster Cream Toast is a nice way of using the liquor when oysters are fried ; heat it and make a sauce by mixing over fire tablespoon each butter and flour until they bubble, then gradually stirring in the hot oyster liquor, adding if necessary a little boiling water to make a sauce of consistency of cream. Boil a minute or two, season with salt and white pepper and pour on slices of toast. For Oyster Sandwiches^ cook oysters in a very little water with butter and salt to taste, and put a layer of them between two thin slices of dry toast, buttered slightly if wished. Oysters prepared in this way make a delicious entree to be sent to to the table with game of any kind. Oyster Vol-au-vent — Prepare the large vol-au-vent case as directed in Pastry. Scald a quart oysters in their own liquor, skim well, drain the oysters and return half pint of strained liquor to saucepan. Rub tablespoon flour smootn with two of butter and pour the hot oyster liquor over it; season well with pepper and salt and a very little nutmeg or mace, if liked ; boil up once, add three tablespoons cream and the oysters, stir over the fire a minute, fill the vol-au-vent case, put on the cover and serve immediately. Beaten eggs may be added if wished richer.