The Toronto Cook Book

Take medium-sized oysters, wash and strain them through a colander. Butter a dish. Put in layer of oysters, sprinkle over some sifted crumbs, a very little salt, pepper, a little powdered mace, some small pieces of butter; then add another layer of oysters, crumbs, salt, pepper, mace and small pieces of butter; repeat this until the dish is full. Be sure the top is covered with crumbs and pieces of butter; put in a quick oven to brown. These can be served in shells instead of a dish. They must be sent to table in the dish in which they were baked. Devilled Oysters Chop the oysters fine and season highly with cayenne pepper and salt. Make a sauce of cream, thickened with butter and cornstarch or flour; the former is preferable; put the oysters on to boil ; when cold fill shells — silver, china or oysters — cover with breadcrumbs and small pieces of butter; put in the oven to brown. Oysters Stewed with Celery Strain one hundred oysters; put the juice on the fire, and cut up one stalk of celery. Let it simmer for twenty minutes, then skim out the celery carefully. Rub a teaspoonful of flour with a quarter of a pound of butter, little mace, pepper and salt to taste; add this to the juice and let it simmer for a few minutes, then add the oysters. Let them just scald, and send hot to the table. To Pan Oysters Wash the oysters in a colander with cold water quickly. Do not let them remain in the water; put a piece of butter the size of a walnut in a pan or chafing dish; when hot put in the oysters, season with pepper and salt and dredge three times with flour; stir frequently and put one or two tablespoonfuls of cream. The Toronto Cook Book Stewed Oysters Drain off the juice from one hundred oysters; put the juice into a saucepan; let it simmer slowly; skim it carefully; then rub the yolks of three hard-boiled eggs and one tablespoonful of flour well together; stir this into the juice. Cut into small pieces a quarter of a pound of butter, and half a tablespoonful of whole allspice, half a teaspoonful of salt (if the oysters are not salt), a very little cayenne. Let this simmer for ten minutes; just before putting in the dish, add the oysters; let them cook for five minutes. If liked, squeeze the juice of a lemon in before serving. Oysters a la Creme Take three or four dozens of medium sized oysters, drain off the liquor and place them in a cooking vessel with a half pint of white wine: blanch them over a gentle fire without allowing them to shrivel. In a farina kettle or double boiler place six ounces of butter and four of flour; as the butter melts rub it together with the flour until it forms a smooth paste, add gradually some of the liquor in which the oysters were blanched together with a gill of rich milk previously heated ; stir altogether until it comes to a boil. Then add a pinch of salt, six whole peppercorns, a pinch of paprika, and the thin rind of a small lemon; let all cook together on the side of the range for forty minutes, then add the beaten yolks of four eggs, beat well with a fork, strain through a sieve and pour into the hot tureen in which the oysters have been placed and serve. If the resulting sauce appears too thick when finished, thin it with hot milk to the desired consistency. This is a very attractive dish for evening parties or receptions.