The Cook Book, by "Oscar" of the Waldorf

Put three minced shallots in a stewpan with two ounces of butter and the brown meat of the crab; fry until the shallots are lightly browned, then pour in half a pint of milk, add half a tablespoonful of chutney, and season with salt, pepper and a small quantity of cayenne. Stir the whole over the fire until it is thick, then put in the lobster chopped. Have a metal table shell, fill it with the lobster mixture, strew a layer of grated breadcrumbs over the top, baste with three tablespoonfuls of warmed butter and brown in the oven. When done place the shell in the middle of the dish and garnish with parsley. Lobster Fricassee. Partially boil some lobsters. Pick the meat out of the claws and tails and cut 'hem into small pieces, put it into a saucepan with two breakfast cupfuls of béchamel sauce and let the contents stew gently for several minutes. Strain the juice of half a lemon into the fricassee, turn it on to a hot dish and serve at once. Fried Lobster. Take the meat out of the tails and claws of a lobster and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Dip a paste-brush in beaten egg, and brush the meat with it, then roll it in breadcrumbs, and after they have dried on it repeat the operation. Place it in a frying basket, plunge it in boiling fat and fry until it is brown. Drain and place the lobster on a hot dish and serve with a sauceboat of tartar sauce. Lobster Fritters. Chop the meat of a lobster and a few skinned prawns, put them in a stewpan with a lump of butter and place on the fire until they are hot. Roll out some good paste, cut it into rounds with a cutter, place them in a flat stewpan with boiling lard, and fry until they are nicely browned ; drain, pile some of the lobster mixture on each, arrange them on a hot dish, garnish with parsley and serve. Lobsters in Casserole. Cut the tails of some boiled lobster into scallops, and place them in a circle in a silver casserole. Fry some chopped shallots in a little butter for a few minutes, then pour in a little sherry wine and finish cooking. When they are done pour over the shallots some Spanish sauce and tomato puree, mixed in equal quantity, stir and boil for five minutes, and dust in a little cayenne pepper. Cut the meats of the lobster claws in small dices, put in the center of the casserole, pour over the sauce, stand the casserole in the oven for ten minutes to warm the lobster and serve. Lobster in Shells. Cut an equal quantity of lobster meat and mushrooms into dice. Boil some veloute sauce, together with some essence of mushrooms till properly reduced. Then thicken it with fresh butter and lobster butter in equal proportions, and mix in the lobster and mushrooms. Fill some table shells with the preparation, sprinkle breadcrumbs over the top, pour over a little warmed butter, and bake in a hot oven until browned. Place the shells on a hot dish and serve. Lobster, Newburg. Pick all the meat from the shells of two good sized freshly boiled lobsters, and cut it into one-inch pieces, which place in a saucepan over a hot range together with one ounce of fresh butter, season with a pinch of salt and half a saltspoonful of red pepper, two medium-sized truffles, cut into dice-shaped pieces, after cooking for five I04 SHELL-FISH. minutes add a wineglassful of Madeira wine; reduce one-half, say about three to four minutes, then have in readiness three egg yolks in a bowl with half a pint of sweet cream, and beat well together, adding this to the lobster, gently stir for two minutes longer until it becomes thick, pour into a hot tureen and serve. Lobster on Skewers.