The Raleigh cook book

Fried Oysters.—Drain the oysters well. Have ready 1 egg, well beaten, to which has been added 1 teaspoon of salt and a dash of pepper. Take a fork and dip the oysters first in rolled cracker crumbs, then in the egg, and again in the crumbs. Have in the frying-pan the lard deep enough to cover the oysters well. When smoking hot, put in the oysters and fry a light brown. Escalloped Oysters.—1 quart of oysters; bread crumbs; % cup milk; % cup oyster liquor. Drain the liquor from the oysters. Butter a deep baking-dish and cover the bottom with bread crumbs. Put in a layer of oysters seasoned with salt and pepper, then a layer of bread crumbs dotted over with bits of butter, then oysters, and so on until the dish is full, finishing with bread crumbs. Bake for half an hour. These may be served in ramekins. Panned Oysters.—25 oysters; 2 tablespoons butter; %4 teaspoon salt; pepper. Cook oysters until plump. Add butter, salt and pepper, and stir well. A little lemon juice improves the flavor. Serve on toast. Oyster Short Cake.—1 quart flour; 4 tablespoons butter; 2 heaping teaspoons Royal Baking Powder; 1 teaspoon salt; milk enough to make a very soft dough. Mix with a spoon. Bake and split in halves and spread the lower half with the creamed oysters, cover this with the other half. Serve hot. Creamed Oysters for Short Cake.—1 quart oysters; 1 pint milk; 2 tablespoons flour; 2 tablespoons butter; salt and pepper. Heat milk. Moisten the flour with a little cold milk and add to milk, then the butter. Cook until thick, season with salt and pepper, and add the oysters, and in a few minutes it is ready to serve. Oysters creamed in this way may be served in ramekins or in baking-dish. Oyster Cocktails.—36 oysters; 1 tablespoon horseradish; 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce; 3 teaspoons lemon juice; 4 teaspoons tomato catsup; 15 drops tobasco sauce; salt to taste. Drain oysters well, put four or five oysters in each glass, and pour dressing over them. Oyster Mincee.—1 quart oysters drained and chopped; 2 cups browned bread crumbs; 4 hard-boiled eggs chopped; 4 eggs not cooked; lump of butter; salt and pepper; 1 cup chopped celery. Mix oysters, bread crumbs, hard-boiled eggs, celery, butter and seasoning. Beat the four eggs stiff, add to mixture, mix well and bake. Little Pigs in Blankets.—Season large oysters and cut very thin slices of bacon about two by three inches. Wrap the oyster in bacon and fasten with small wooden toothpicks, and cook a nice brown; serve with picks in them. Boiled Old Ham.—Select a well-cured old ham weighing about eight pounds; soak all night in water. Put it into the boiler with enough water to cover well, and add one-half cup of good molasses and one-half cup of brown sugar. Cover well and cook slowly about four hours. Let it get cold in the water in which it is cooked. Peel off the skin and sift over the top cracker crumbs and black pepper and bake in a moderate oven one hour, basting frequently with the juice that runs out. Baked Fresh Pork Ham.—Select a small-sized ham. Place in greased pan with a cup of water and cook in a slow oven for three hours, or until thoroughly done. Pour off most of the grease, then season what remains in the pan with red and black pepper and a small piece of butter. Sweet potatoes may be baked in the pan with the pork. To Barbecue Pork.—Barbecue may be prepared in the same way as fresh pork ham by adding one-half teacup of vinegar to the gravy and basting frequently while baking. Sausage.—3 pounds of meat; 3 level teaspoons of salt; 3 teaspoons sage; 2 teaspoons pepper; 2 or 3 pods red pepper. Grind meat. Dry pepper and sage in oven, rub fine and sift. Season meat and mix thoroughly.