The Cook Book, by "Oscar" of the Waldorf

Line a pie dish with puff paste, and fill it with slices of stale bread ; butter the paste that covers the edge of the dish, lay a cover of puff paste over the pie, press the edges very lightly together, trim them, and bake quickly in a hot oven. Meanwhile drain the liquor from one quart of oysters and chop them fine with a sharp, thin bladed knife. Blend a teaspoonful of corn starch in a very little cold milk, pour over it one-half pint of boiling milk or cream, put it over the fire in a saucepan, stir till it thickens, and then add one ounce of butter ; when the butter has been well mixed in, season the chopped oysters with salt and pepper, stir them into the thickened milk, let simmer (stirring all the time), for five minutes, and then take from off the fire. When the bread pie is baked remove from the oven, and while still hot carefully take off the upper crust ; remove the bread, and fill the dish with the thickened cream or milk and chopped oysters, replace the top crust, put the pie again in the oven till it is thoroughly hot and then serve. Oyster Poulette. Place thirty-six freshly-opened oysters in a saucepan with a little of their own liquor, one ounce of butter, half a pinch of salt and pepper and parboil for three minutes, adding half a pint of hollandaise sauce; stew well together for two minutes longer, but without letting the liquor boil, add one teaspoonful of chopped parsley and the juice of half a lemon, stir slightly and serve very hot. Scalloped Oysters. Strain the oyster liquor, rinse the oysters in it, then plump and beard them. Measure the liquor and add to it an equal quantity of rich white sauce; if this does not thicken it sufficiently add one teaspoonful of flour, rubbed into a small piece of )utter, stir over the fire until pretty hot, stir until it boils and boil ten minutes, stir- •ing occasionally. Put in the oysters and keep them nearly simmering for three minites, then put them into their shells with a little of the sauce, put a layer of sifted breadcrumbs on them, pour over this a little clarified butter and brown them in the oven. Spiced Oysters. Take a hundred fresh oysters, put them into a large earthenware pipkin together with their own liquor strained, half a nutmeg grated, eighteen cloves, four blades of mace, a teaspoonful of allspice, a very little cayenne pepper, one teaspoonful of salt and two tablespoonfuls of strong vinegar, and stir all these together with a wooden spoon. Put them in a moderately-heated oven or over a slow fire; take them from * Jie fire several times and stir them thoroughly; as soon as they come to a boil pour them in a pan and let them stand all night in a cool place. They will be ready for eating next day. Steamed Oysters. Open and drain the required quantity of oysters, lay them in a steamer, which place over a saucepan of boiling water, cover them with a plate and cook for ten minutes. When ready place the oysters in a very hot dish, garnish with some croutons of brown bread fried in butter and drained and a few drops of lemon or vinegar poured over them. Dust lightly with salt and pepper and serve. Stewed Oysters.