European and American cuisine

Oyster Ragout. — Put 12 large oysters in a saucepan over the fire; add the juice of ½ lemon, ¼ tablespoonful butter, a little salt and white pepper, and cook a few minutes till the oysters ruffle. Melt in another saucepan 1 tablespoonful butter, add 1 tablespoonful flour, stir 3 minutes, add 1 cupful white broth, ⅛ cupful oyster liquor, ¼ cupful canned mushrooms and a little of their liquor, ¼ even teaspoonful salt, ½ teaspoonful pepper, cook 10 minutes. Mix the yolks of 2 eggs with ½ cupful cream, add it to the saucepan, add the oysters, let it remain over the fire till nearly boiling, then remove. Have in the meantime 12 fish balls or chicken forcemeat balls, prepared and boiled, add them to the ragout, and serve. Oysters à la Villeroi. — Place 18 large oysters in a saucepan over the fire; add the juice of 1 lemon, 1 teaspoonful seasoning salt, 1 ounce butter, and ¼ cup of their juice ; when beginning to boil, remove from fire, and drain. Prepare a thick Villeroi sauce, cover each oyster with the sauce, lay on a buttered tin pan, and set for 1 hour on ice. Dip the oysters in beaten egg and roll in bread crumbs, fry in hot fat to a delicate brown. These oysters are mostly used for garnishing. Oysters with Celery.— Place 1 pint fine-cut table celery in a saucepan over the fire, cover with boiling water ; add 1 even teaspoonful salt, and boil till tender. Put 12 oysters with 1 cupful of their liquor in a saucepan ; add ½ even teaspoonful salt, or a little white pepper, boil 2 minutes ; mix ¼ tablespoonful cornstarch with ¼ tablespoonful butter, add it to the oysters ; drain the celery, add it also to the oysters, boil 2 minutes ; add 2 tablespoonf uls cream or unsweetened condensed milk ; then pour over 6 slices buttered toast, and serve. Oyster Pie. —Take an earthen dish which holds 3 pints and line the sides with rich pie crust ; lift 1 quart of large oysters with a fork out of their liquor, lay them in layers in the dish ; sprinkle between 1 even teaspoonful salt, ⅛ teaspoonful pepper, and lay ⅛ tablespoonful butter in small bits over the oysters ; cover with the same crust and cut an opening in the center of top crust ; then place in oven to bake. In the meantime melt 1 tablespoonful butter, add 1 tablespoonful flour, cook for a few minutes ; then add the strained oyster liquor and ⅛ cupful water, cook 2 minutes; season with 1 even teaspoonful salt, ⅛ teaspoonful white pepper, and add 1 cup cream or milk ; when the pie is nearly done, put a funnel in the center opening, and pour in as much of the sauce as the pie will hold, return to oven and bake 10 minutes longer ; if there is any sauce left, serve it with the pie. Another way is to boil 3 potatoes until done, then cut in slices, and put in alternate layers in the dish with the oysters. CLAMS. Clams on Half-shell. — Clams to be sweet and fresh should be well washed in cold water, kept as cold as possible, and not opened until shortly before serving. Have deep oyster plates covered with fine-shaved ice, the clams on half-shells, place them in the ice (allowing 6 to 8 clams for each plate) with a quarter of a lemon, and serve. Another way is to cover the ice with a small napkin and dress the clams over it CLAMS. 125