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In puffs of rich pastry, put two or three oysters stewed in a dressing of cream ; cover with a round of the pastry, and serve. Both puffs and oysters must be hot. STEWED OYSTERS. It is important that oysters be drained and rinsed, taking out every particle of shell. When canned oysters are used, which is generally the case away from the sea-coast, do not use the liquor, but if fresh oysters can be had the liquor should always be used. OYSTERS. 95 To one quart of oysters, heat a pint of cream or milk in a double kettle, or in one vessel placed in another of hot water. If the oysters are canned use a pint of water, if fresh boil and skim the liquor, add the hot cream, to which there must be two tablespoons of flour rubbed smooth in a little milk. If milk is used instead of cream, rub an ounce and a half of butter with the flour; season with salt, pepper, and mace if liked ; when very hot, put in the oysters, and serve as soon as they are puffed and curled. If preferred, the oysters when drained and washed may be stewed in hot milk, without any of their own liquor, seasoned, and thickened with rolled cracker. PHILADELPHIA CLAM CHOWDER. Peel and slice one quart of onions, put them into a saucepan with two quarts of water, and half a pound of salt pork cut in half-inch pieces, and boil these ingredients together for half an hour; then add one quart of potatoes, peeled and sliced quarter of an inch thick, two tablespoons of sugar, one of salt, one teaspoon each of sweet marjoram and summer savory, and one saltspoon each of ground cloves and red pepper; wash one quart of clams, chop them medium fine, put them into the chowder, and continue to cook it until the potatoes are done; meantime soak half a pound of sea-biscuit in cold water for five minutes, and then put it into the chowder. Serve the chowder hot, with a plate of crackers. PHILADELPHIA CLAM SOUP. Twenty-five small clams, one quart of milk, half a cup of butter, one tablespoon of chopped parsley, three potatoes, two large tablespoons of flour, salt, pepper. The clams should be chopped fine and put into a colander to drain. Pare the potatoes and chop rather fine. Put them on to boil with the milk, in a double kettle. Rub the butter and flour together until perfectly creamy, and when the milk and potatoes have been boiling fifteen minutes, stir this in, and cook eight minutes more. Add the parsley, pepper and salt, and cook three minutes longer. Now add the clams. Cook one minute longer, and serve. This gives a very delicate soup, as the liquor from the clams is not used. SCALLOPED CLAMS. Butter a deep tin dish, put in a layer of grated bread or cracker crumbs, sprinkle in pepper and bits of butter; then put in a layer of clams chopped fine, with butter and pepper, and repeat with alternate layers of crumbs and clams until the dish is full. Let the last layer be of crumbs, with plenty of butter on top; put a plate on it, after adding one cup of rich milk, and bake three-quarters of an hour; take off the plate long enough to brown the top nicely before serving. M. CLAM STEW.