Cassell's dictionary of cookery

Oysters, Ketchup of.— Take half a pint of fresh oysters, clean them well, carefully removing the eye and the gut, and boil them gently with their liquor until all the goodness is drawn out of them. Strain them, and put the liquid into a clean saucepan, with an equal quantity of light wine, six anchovies, a teaspoonful of lemon-juice, a quarter of an ounce each of pounded cloves and mace, and a dozen peppercorns. Boil a quarter of an hour longer, then put a dozen shallots and the thin rind of a small lemon into a jar, pour over them the hot liquid with the spices, and when cold bottle the ketchup and reseal the corks. This ketchup is for flavouring sauces when oysters are out of season. Time, lialf an hour to boil the oysters. Probable cost of oysters. Is. 6d. to 3s. per dozen. Oysters, Ketchup of (another way).— Take half a pint of freshly-shelled oysters, clean them well, carefully removing the eye and the gut, and pound them in a mortar to a smooth paste. Add half a pint of sherry, a drachm of mace, half a drachm of pepper, and half an ounce of salt, and boil aU gently together for twenty minutes. Strain the liquid, and mix with it a tea-spoonful of brandy, then bottle the ketchup, and reseal the corks. Probable cost of 03'sters, Is. 6d. to 3s. per dozen. Oysters, Ketchup of (another way).— Pound two dozen large oysters in a mortar. Put them into a stewpan with all their liquor, half a pint of sherry, a quarter of a pound of fine anchovies, and the thin rind of half a lemon. Simmer gently for half an hour, then strain; add half a salt-spoonful of pounded mace and eight peppercorns, boil for a few minutes, and when cold bottle the ketchup and store for use. This ketchup will be found useful to flavour gravies and sauces when fresh oysters cannot be obtained. Oysters too large for eating may be used for ketchup. Probable cost, 3s. 6d. per pint. A dessert-spoonful will flavour half a pint of sauce. Oysters, Loaves of.— Beard one dozen oysters, and put the beards into a saucepan with the oyster liquid, as much thick cream as will cover them, a quarter of an inch of mace, a grate or two of nutmeg, two inches of thin lemon-rind, and half a grain of cayenne. Boil for ten minutes, strain the sauce, and put it back into the saucepan, with the oysters finely minced, a dessert-spoonful of lemon-juice, and a quarter of a pint of thick cream, thickened with a dessert-spoonful of dried hour. Stir the mixture over the iire for a minute, then put it into the loaves, prepared as follows : — Shear the tops off three or iour small French rolls, scoop out the crumb, and plunge the rolls into as much hot lard as will cover them entirely, and let them remain tUl they are brightly browned all over. Drain them well, fill them with the oyster mixture, and serve in a dish garnished with fried bread-crumbs. Time, ten minutes to brown the loaves. Probable cost, OYS (495 ) OYS of oysters, Is. 6d. to 3s. per dozen. Sufficient for six or eight persons. Oysters, Marinaded and Pried.—