Clarified fat and lard boils at about five hundred degrees, which
is more than double the heat of boiling water. At three hundred
and seventy-five degrees the blue smoke arises from these heated
substances which is the cooking point, and boiling fat or lard will
bum to a cinder instantly anything that is put into it.
The peeled' potato prevents burning as it furnishes an object for
the fat to act upon and so keeps it from growing hotter ; a piece of
Hard bread will answer the same purpose.
A large quantity of fat is used in this recipe, but its extravagance
is tempered by the fact that the same fat may be used over and over
again until the heating property is exhausted,
The reason for allowing the oysters to stand for thirty minutes
after being rolled in the cracker-dust is that unless so permitted to
harden, the egg w^ith which the oyster is subsequently treated would
not adhere but merely draw the cracker-dust off, making it thus
necessary to pack these substances on with the hands and a heavy,
soggy dish be the consequence.
Fried oysters must be quickly cooked and as quickly served.
Recipe for clarifying fat on page — .
22 OYSTERS.
Oy^BTU H-la-Or^me. — Materials and quantities as
follows ; Twenty-five large oysters, one dessert spoonful
of chopped parsley, one heaped tablespoonful of bread-
crumbs, three and one-half ounces of butter, one and one- '
half ounces of flour, a piece of onion half the size of a
nutmeg, one gill of cream, one-half saltspoonful of grated
nutmeg, one-half saltspoonful of pepper, a piece of salt
the size of a pea.
The oysters should first be boiled in their own liquor
for five minutes, after which strained, cut into rough
pieces, and put upon a plate. Season them then with the
pepper, salt and nutmeg. Melt the butter now in a fresh
saucepan, adding thereto the flour and the cream^ and
boil all together for two minutes. Take then the sauce-
pan from the fire, put into it the oysters and the parsley
and onion, chopped finely, as well. This mixture must
now be put nicely into large, deep oyster shells, the bread
crumbs sprinkled over each, and put into a quick oven
until browned over the top.
Note. — ^As the oysters used do not always furnish the proper sliells
for this preparation, it is weU to select from time to time, the shells
from oysters used in other ways, and scrubbing them well, make a
reserve of deep shells for this purpose.
Broiled Oysters.— There will be required for this:
twenty-five large oysters, two tablespoonfuls of flour, four
tablespoonfuls of milk, four tablespoonfuls of cracker-dust,
two eggs, four heaped tablespoonfuls of bread crumbs,
two ounces of butter, and the juice of half a lemon, one-
half a saltspoonful of salt, and an equal amount of pepper.
Drain thoroughly the liquor from the oysters, mix
upon a plate the flour, milk, pepper and salt.
OYSTER CROQUETTES. 21
Dip the oysters into this mixture, one by one, and,
putting the cracker-dust upon a sheet of kitchen paper,
drop the oysters into the dust separately, and roll them
from side to side by lifting the paper alternately at op-
posite comers. Return then to the plate, using a fork in
the lifting, and let them stand for thirty minutes, that the
dust may harden with the juice. Beat the eggs now until
very light, and dip the oysters, one by one therein, then
into the bread crumbs, and having lightly greased the
broiler, put them into it, and broil for five minutes.
In serving, put the butter upon them in small lumps,
and squeeze over them the lemon juice.
Note, — Before beginning the preparing of oysters in this manner,
it would be well to read the notes on fried oysters, page 21. ✪ Fried Oysters
Page 11 · 2 recipe records on this page
Presented as published in 1880. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
Clarified fat and lard boils at about five hundred degrees, which is more than double the heat of boiling water. At three hundred and seventy-five degrees the blue smoke arises from these heated substances which is the cooking point, and boiling fat or lard will bum to a cinder instantly anything that is put into it.
The peeled potato prevents burning as it furnishes an object for the fat to act upon and so keeps it from growing hotter ; a piece of hard bread will answer the same purpose.
A large quantity of fat is used in this recipe, but its extravagance is tempered by the fact that the same fat may be used over and over again until the heating property is exhausted,
The reason for allowing the oysters to stand for thirty minutes after being rolled in the cracker-dust is that unless so permitted to harden, the egg with which the oyster is subsequently treated would not adhere but merely draw the cracker-dust off, making it thus necessary to pack these substances on with the hands and a heavy, soggy dish be the consequence.
Fried oysters must be quickly cooked and as quickly served.
Recipe for clarifying fat on page — .
22 OYSTERS.
Oyster a-la-Creme. — Materials and quantities as follows ; Twenty-five large oysters, one dessert spoonful of chopped parsley, one heaped tablespoonful of breadcrumbs, three and one-half ounces of butter, one and one- ' half ounces of flour, a piece of onion half the size of a nutmeg, one gill of cream, one-half saltspoonful of grated nutmeg, one-half saltspoonful of pepper, a piece of salt the size of a pea.
The oysters should first be boiled in their own liquor for five minutes, after which strained, cut into rough pieces, and put upon a plate. Season them then with the pepper, salt and nutmeg. Melt the butter now in a fresh saucepan, adding thereto the flour and the cream, and boil all together for two minutes. Take then the saucepan from the fire, put into it the oysters and the parsley and onion, chopped finely, as well. This mixture must now be put nicely into large, deep oyster shells, the bread crumbs sprinkled over each, and put into a quick oven until browned over the top.
Note. — ^As the oysters used do not always furnish the proper sliells for this preparation, it is well to select from time to time, the shells from oysters used in other ways, and scrubbing them well, make a reserve of deep shells for this purpose.
Broiled Oysters.— There will be required for this: twenty-five large oysters, two tablespoonfuls of flour, four tablespoonfuls of milk, four tablespoonfuls of cracker-dust, two eggs, four heaped tablespoonfuls of bread crumbs, two ounces of butter, and the juice of half a lemon, onehalf a saltspoonful of salt, and an equal amount of pepper.
Drain thoroughly the liquor from the oysters, mix upon a plate the flour, milk, pepper and salt.
OYSTER CROQUETTES. 21
Dip the oysters into this mixture, one by one, and, putting the cracker-dust upon a sheet of kitchen paper, drop the oysters into the dust separately, and roll them from side to side by lifting the paper alternately at opposite comers. Return then to the plate, using a fork in the lifting, and let them stand for thirty minutes, that the dust may harden with the juice. Beat the eggs now until very light, and dip the oysters, one by one therein, then into the bread crumbs, and having lightly greased the broiler, put them into it, and broil for five minutes.
In serving, put the butter upon them in small lumps, and squeeze over them the lemon juice.
Note, — Before beginning the preparing of oysters in this manner, it would be well to read the notes on fried oysters, page 21.
Records on this page
Fried OystersOyster Croquettes