Cookery.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 995, 27 March 1891, Page 6

Cookery.

THE OYSTER SEASON. The oyster season ib now upon us ; already the market is welt supplied with those •delicious but ’enormous Stewart Island bivalves, and early next month we shall be able to obtain those dainty, delicately flavoured Auckland rook oysters. Aft oysters are almost universally relished, tfce following particulars may be found useful:— Oysters should be kept in *a Very cold ■place before they are opened* knd should be well washed before •usieg. The proper way to open them is to place the deep shell in the palm o£ the left hand and break them cn one side. A stabbing knife is preferable for this ; but if there be none handy use a small block that the oyster can fit iuto and stab it on the edge, or eyen a chopping block and a chopping knife may be employed in case <ot Serve six oysters for each jjperson, nicely arranged oa oyster plates with "quarters of lemon. OYSTEKS A I,’ALEXANDER DUMAS. Place in a sauce bowl a heaped teaspoonful of salt, three-fourths of a teaspoonful of very finely crushed white pepper, one mediumaiced fine, sound, well peeled aud very finechopped shallot, one heaped teaspoonful of very finely shopped chives, and half a teaspoonful of parsley, also very finely chopped iap. Mix lightly together, then pour in a light teaspoonful of oltve oil, six drops of Tabasco sauce, one saltspoonful of Worcestershire sauce, and lastly one small gill or five and one-half tablespoonfuls of good vinegar. Mix it thoroughly with a spoon ; send to the table, and With a teaspoon pour a little of the saaca over each oyster just before eatingPRIED OYSTERS. Procure fcwenty-four large, freshly opened oysters, or thirty.six medium size ; dip each one separately in flour, then in beaten egg, «usd lastly in powdered cracker dust. Fry in very hot fat for four minutes, drain well and Berve ou a hot dish with a folded napkin, sprinkling over a very little salt and garnishing with fried parsley leaves. BROILED OYSTERS, Tip twenty-four largo, freshly opened oysters in half bred crumbs and half cracker dust. Flatten them with the hand and broil &hem cn a well greased broiler for two minutes on each side, then salt them lightly, and serve on Bix pieces of toast. A GOOD WAY TO SERVE OYSTERS. Place twenty-fonr freshly-opened oysters in a stew pan in their own juice. Season with a very little salt and one-half pinch of pepper. Par boil for two minutes. Take six skewers and pass them through the oysters, separating each one by a small square of cooked bacon—that is, alternating each oyster with a piece of bacon—sprinkle with grated fresh bread crumbs and broil for one and one-half minutes on each side. STEWED OYSTERS. Before cooking oysters carfully remove all particles of shell. This is not so necessary with the most expensive sorts, but even these sometimes have a treacherous bit of shell in them, which is very disagreeable to encounter. Fut one gallon of oysters with their liquor into a granite saucepan, salt and pepper to taste, and three quarters of a pound of very nice butter. Oysters require a quantity of butter if you want them in perfection. Frequently stir them, and when they are thoroughly heated through and begin to cook, stir iuto them one teacupful of fresh biscuit dust, finely pounded. As soon as they are done, which is as soon as they are plump out, remove them from the fire. Too much cooking, like too little butter, will ruin an oyster. While cooking Btir often from the bottom of tha saucepan, otherwise they will burn. OYSTERS COOKED WITH RICE. Pick and wash carefully one pint of rice. Put it in a pan, salt to taste and poor ou it one pint of fresh oyster liquor that has been strained to free it from the shell. Set the pan in a steamer and cover closely. From time to time, as it cooka, stir it with a fork. When perfectly done and tender remove from the steamer and stir into it, while hot, a quartet of a pound of batter. Beat two e very light, separately, and, when the rice cools, stir them in. Batter a baking dish, put the rice in it and smooth it over the top. With the back of a tables poou made undulations all over it, close together and deep enongh to hold an oyster. Into each one put a teaspoonful of bits of butter, then lay in each, one large, or two or three small oysters, freed from any particle of shell. Sorinkle over these salt and a little black pepper, and half a teacupful of fine biscuit’ dust. Cut into bitß and sprinkle over them a quarter of a pound of butter. Set in a hot oven and brown quickly. Serve at once. Use about one quart of oysters and nice fresh butter. A shallow baking dish is beet. The rice nhould not be more than an inch and a half deep in the dish. Be sure to brown quickly. OYSTERS COOKED WITH SPINACH. Chop an onion very fine, place it in a stew pan with one ounce of butter and let it get a good golden colour, then add a tablespoonful of cooked, finely minced spinach, also a small glassful of white wine. Have eighteen medium sized oysters, chopped exceedingly small, and season with a pinch of salt and the same of pepper ; place these in the stew pan and let them cook for fifteen minutes. Put in one whole egg, also a bruised clove of garlic, stir ; and then take six large, clean oyster shells, fill the bottoms with a bed of three parboiled oysters, cover them with the spinach mixture and sprinkle with fresh bread crumbs. Flatten the tops with the blade of a knife, pour a very little clarified batter over them and put them for throe minutes in the oven. Servo oa a folded napkin, garnishing with parsley leaves. ME MS ON OYSTERS. A freshly cut lemon squeezed over oysters is far more delicious than the vinegar generally used. Never drink tea with your oysters. The tannin in the tea turns the oysters into patches of something next door to leather. Tea and oysters will tive h orribla dreams for they would be indiges table. The wine known as Chabliß is the correct •wine to drink with oysters, and next comes champagne.