Harper's cook book encyclopædia

Oysters, Pickled. — Remove the tendons of two dozen pickled oysters, drain them, dress them nicely on a pretty side-dish, and pour over three table-spoonfuls of ordinary French dressing. Crush through a strainer two hard-boiled eggs, mix them with one-half teaspoonful of dry mustard, Oyster Pie Oyster Sauce sprinkle this over the oysters, and place around them a few small leaves of white celery. Oyster Pie. — Line a deep dish with puff paste. Lay a plate the same size as the dish on top of it ; over this put the top crust (the dish supports it), as the paste must go into the oven before the oysters are put in — it requires more cooking. Prepare the oysters while the crust is cooking. Strain the liquor; thicken it with the yolks of eggs, boiled hard and grated ; add a piece of butter and a few fine breadcrumbs ; season with pepper, salt, and nutmeg ; stew for five minutes. As soon as the crust is done, remove the cover, take out the plate, pour in the oysters and their gravy, put the cover on, and send to table hot. Oysters a la Poulette. — Open oysters, and save their juice carefully ; put them on the fire with the juice, and when they come to a boil take them off ; add butter, parsley, mushrooms, and shallots, chopped fine, a tablespoonful of oil, a little grated nutmeg and pepper, and a few bread-crumbs. Set all back on the fire for a few minutes, stirring the while. Turn upon a dish, sprinkle the juice of a lemon all over, and serve as warm as possible. Oysters, Ramekins of. — Drain one quart of large oysters, plunge them in boiling water for one minute, drain well, cut the tendons and trim them. Put in a small saucepan half a tablespoonful of flour, half a table-spoonful of butter ; cook for three minutes, stirring. Do not brown. Add slowly half a pint of good broth, and then half a pint of rich cream. Season with half a teaspoonful of salt, half a saltspoonful of pepper; cook slowly for eight minutes. Put in the oysters; cook three minutes. Slice four hardboiled eggs, add them to the oysters, and warm them. Remove from the fire. Beat two yolks of raw eggs with a little of the gravy, and add to it half a table - spoonful of butter. Pour this in the saucepan and mix gently. Serve in ramekins which have been warmed. Oysters, Roasted. — Open large oysters, and, when drained, melt a little butter in a frying-pan, and then cook the oysters in it. Serve as warm as possible, salting them when out of the pan. They may be served on toast. Another way : — Put the oysters unopened on the gridiron, and as soon as they are open one shell is removed, a little melted butter is put on, with white pepper, and they are thus served, warm. They may be detached from the shell and served on toast also. Gravy may be used instead of butter, according to taste. Oyster Salad. — Boil two dozen oysters in their own liquor for five minutes, drain, and stand on ice till very cold. Arrange crisp lettuce leaves in a salad-bowl, put the oysters on them, pour over a teacupful of mayonnaise dressing, and serve very cold.