The Cook Book, by "Oscar" of the Waldorf

Blanch six dozen oysters, trim and chop the meat into small pieces, put these into a saucepan with one-third the bulk of mushrooms cooked and cut into small pieces. Set one pint of bechamel sauce in a saucepan over a clear fire, reduce it stirring frequently, add a few tablespoonfuls of the oyster liquor and a little cream. When it is well reduced and begins to froth, add a liaison made of the yolks of three eggs to thicken it, and lastly add a small quantity of butter. Stir in the oyster mixture, turn it out into a basin, and let it get quite cold, placing the basin if necessar}' on ice. Take out small quantities, about the size of an egg, roll them on a board sprinkled with breadcrumbs, make them round with spoons, and dip them first into well beaten egg and then into breadcrumbs. Have ready a fryingpan of boiling feit. SHELL-FISH. iii plunge them in a few at a time and when they are done and of a good color take them out, drain, arrange them on a napkin spread over a dish, and serve with a garnish of fried parsley. Oyster Croustade. Beard and cut some oysters into halves and put in a stewpan with their strained liquor, one wineglassful of white wine, and a moderate quantity of gravy; season to taste with salt, pepper, and a small quantity each of grated lemon peel and pounded mace. Stew them gently, and when done place in them about one ounce of butter in small lumps. Cut off the tops of some small French rolls, scooping out the crumb, and put them into a stewpan of boiling butter, and fry until crisp and brown. Rub the crumbs of the rolls up finely and fry them also. Drain the rolls and fill them with the oyster mixture, placing on a hot dish with the crumbs around it, and serve. Curried Oysters. Peel and cut into thin slices a moderate sized Spanish onion; put a lump of butter into a stewpan, place it over the fire, and when the butter boils put in the onion and fry it until nicely browned. Next stir in three tablespoonfuls of curry powder, add more butter if necessary, and mix well over the fire. Pour in gradually a sufficient quantity of broth, put the lid on the pan and let the whole boil up. Grate a cocoanut and peel and chop a very sour apple, or, instead of the apple, a few tamarinds would be best if they could be obtained; put them into the stewpan with the other ingredients, and boil the whole slowly until the cocoanut is tender. Mix two tablespoonfuls of flour smooth with a little water, and stir it into the above mixture; season to taste with salt, stir and boil for five minutes. Put two or three tomatoes, freed from their seeds, into a stewpan with a hundred oysters and their liquor, also the milk of the cocoanut. Stir them occasionally, and stew slowly for a few minutes. Add this to the former mixture. Squeeze in the juice of half a lemon, turn the curry on to a hot dish, garnish with croutons of fried bread, or sippets of toast, and serve with a separate dish of rice. Oyster Fricassee. Open and beard some oysters, put them into a stewpan with their own liquor, one ounce of butter and the strained juice of half a lemon; season them with a small quantity each of cayenne pepper and grated nutmeg and let them simmer gently by the side of the fire for a few minutes. Do not cook them too much or they will shrivel up. Beat the yolks of three eggs together with three tablespoonfuls of sherry, strain and pour in with the oysters. Toss the whole over the fire for a minute, then turn them on to a dish and serve. Fried Oysters.