European and American cuisine

Oysters— Served Raw. — Wash the oysters well in cold water; have them opened on the deep shell to preserve their liquor ; cover the bottom of deep oyster plates with shaved ice, place the oysters on top, and serve ; or put a small napkin over the ice and arrange the oysters on the napkin. Another way is to place the oysters for 15 minutes on shaved ice, arrange them without ice on plates, and serve with lemons cut into quarters. Raw Oysters with Chantilly Sauce.— Mix in a bowl 1 tablespoonful very finely chopped shallots, 1 even teaspoonful salt, 1/2 even teaspoonful pepper, 1/2 tablespoonful fine-chopped chives, 1 tablespoonful olive oil, 1/2 tablespoonful tarragon vinegar, 4 tablespoonfuls white vinegar, and 1/2 teaspoonful pepper sauce. Serve the oysters on the half shell, pour a little of the sauce over each, or serve the rest in a sauce bowl with the oysters. Roasted Oysters.—— Wash the oysters several times in cold water, lay them on a broiler on a clear, strong fire ; as soon as they open take them off ; remove one half of the shell, leaving the oyster in the other. Put a small piece of butter over each oyster, and serve, or they can be served with maitre d'hotel butter. Oyster Fritters à la Béarnaise.— Blanch 24 large oysters in their own juice ; drain, and put the oysters in a covered dish with 1 teaspoonful seasoning salt, 1 finely sliced onion, the juice of 1 lemon, 1/2 bunch of parsley, cover, and let them marinate 1 hour. Shortly before serving mix the yolks of 2 eggs with 1/2 cup milk, 1 teaspoonful butter, 1/4 teaspoonful salt, the same of pepper, 2 table- spoonfuls flour, and the beaten whites ; wipe the oysters dry, dust with flour, dip in the batter, and fry in boiling fat to a delicate brown. Pour 1/2 pint Béarnaise sauce on a warm dish, dress the oysters over it, and serve with French bread and butter. Oysters en Brochette.— Place 2 dozen oysters in a saucepann ; add 1 cup of their liquor, 1 teaspoonful seasoning salt, boil 1 minute ; then drain ; enclose each oyster in a thin slice of bacon ; take 6 skewers, put 4 oysters on each, brush over with a little melted butter; lay the skewers on a double broiler, and broil 2 minutes on each side ; dress on a warm dish, spread over 1 ounce maitre d'hotel butter, garnish with parsley, and serve with French bread. OOyster Forcée on Toast.— Place 12 large oysters with their liquor in a saucepan over the fire ; when beginning to boil take the oysters out of their liquor, and chop them fine. Melt in another saucepan 1 ounce butter, add 1/2 tablespoonful flour, stir and cook 3 minutes; add 1/2 cupful cream or milk, 1/2 teaspoonful salt, 1/4 teaspoonful white pepper, boil 2 minutes, add the oysters ; cook a few minutes longer ; then pour over buttered toast, and serve.