Oysters Vol-au-Vent

Ingredients

• half a pound of dried and sifted flour
• salt it slightly
• the yolk of an egg
• strained juice of half a lemon
• half a pound of fresh butter
• two dozen oysters
• an inch of lemon-rind
• a small pinch of salt
• half an inch of mace
• half a grain of cayenne
• the tenth part of a nutmeg, grated
• two ounces of butter
• a quarter of a pint of cream

Method

1. 1

   Put flour into a basin, salt it, and make a soft paste with egg yolk, lemon juice, and cold water.

2. 2

   Roll out with butter, chill, and cut to size.

3. 3

   Bake until risen and browned.

4. 4

   Prepare oysters by boiling with lemon rind, salt, mace, cayenne, and nutmeg.

5. 5

   Strain gravy, mix with butter and cream, add oysters, simmer, and serve in the vol-au-vent.

As published

This recipe was extracted from Cassell's dictionary of cookery (1892) by Cassell & Company, page 1074. The excerpt below is the record exactly as published.

ysters, Vol-au-Vent of. —Put half a pound of dried and sifted flour into a basin, salt it slightly, and malvc it into a soft paste by stirring into it the yolk of an egg, which has been beaten up with the strained juice of half a lemon and a little cold-water. Put the paste on a slab, and lay half a pound of fresh butter in the middle of' it, then roll it out four or five times, and put it in a cold place for an hour. At the end of that time roU it out again once or twice, and leave it a little more than an inch thick. Dip a knife into hot water, and cut the paste to the size and shape of the dish on which the vol-au-vent is to be served. Mark the cover by making an even incision the third of an OYS ( 499 ) PAL inch deep, and an inch from the edge all round, brush it over with yolk of egg, place it on a baking-tin, and bake it in a hot oven until it is well risen, and lightly browned. Draw it out, and lift off the cover with the point of a sharp knife, scoop out the soft paste from the inside, and retui-n the vol-au-vent to the oven for a few minutes to dry. When ready for serving, fiU the centre with oysters prepared as follows : — Beard two dozen oysters, and put the beards and the liquor into a saucepan with an inch of lemon-rind, a small pinch of salt, half an inch of mace, half a grain of cayenne, and the tenth part of a nutmeg, grated. Boil quickly for six or eight minutes, then strain the gravy. Mix a table-spoonful of tioiir smoothly with two ounces of butter. Add a quarter of a pint of cream

Cook this with the app: pantry check, scaling, and the assistant.