TASTY WAYS OF COOKING OYSTERS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 6132, 19 March 1898, Page 3

TASTY WAYS OF COOKING OYSTERS.

Oysters Broiled. — Take a dozen or more good-sized oysters, open them and leave them on the deep shell. Put a little butter on top of each oyster, with the smallest pinch of cayenne, salt and a few drops of lemon juice. Put the shells on a gridiron over a clear but not too fierce fire, and broil them for three minutes. Serve them neatly arranged in an entree or oyster dish, or better still, so many on a plate to each person, handing with them brown bread and butter. Oysters in Cases.— Steep lib of breadcrumb in tepid water for half an hour, wring it dry in a cloth to extract the moisture, and put it in a stewpan with loz of butter and a little salt, stir it over the fire with a wooden spoon till it leaves the sides of the pan. Now scald and beard two dozen oysters and pound them in a mortar with lAoz of the bread, loz of butter and the yolks of three eggs. Then rub through a wire sieve and add one gill of oyster liquor and one of whipped cream, season with a dus.t of cayenne, salt, and the squeeze of a lemon, and lastly add the whipped whites of two eggs beaten to a snow. Mix the whole very lightly and pour into paper cases, or moulds that have been brusbed'over with dissolved butter. Steam for half an hour, and cover the oyster moulds with buttered paper during the process. Otsters on Toast. — Allow at least six oysters to cash person. Scald them in their liquor for half a minute, and then drain them from it. Mix enough flour into the strained and cleared oyster liquor to make a thick sauce ; add to this 2oz of butter, a dust of cayenne, a little salt,, a few drops of lemon juice, and live or six drops of essence of anchovy. Mix this over the firo and put in the oysters to beat them through, and then add one gill of cream. When thoroughly hot place tho oysters in the centre of each neatly prepared piece of toast, and divide tho cream equally among them } give another squeeze of lemon to each, and Berve at once. This,

quantity should be sufficient for four persons. Indian Curbied Oysters. — Open and beard two dozen oysters, strain their liquor and set ifc on one side. Minco an onion very finely, and fry it in 1-Joz of butter until tender. Stir into it a heaped dessert spoonful of the best curry powder, and add one gill of good stock. When the mixture simmers stir in a dessertspoonful of desiccated cocoanut, and a tablespoonfu! of very finely minced sour apples ; simmer gently until the apple is dissolved, and then add a little flour, a seasoning oi pepper and salt, and the liquor of the oysters. Again let this simmer for five minutes, then add the oysters and a squeeze of lemon juice. When it is quite hot serve in the centre of a mound of boiled Patna rice. Oyster Fritters. — Take one or two dozen oysters, strain them from their liquor, and stand them aside for a few minutes. Make a good batter with three tablespoonfnls .of flour, a little salt, some oil, and a little tepid water, or it will not drop from the spoon as it should. Whisk the whites of two eggs to a froth, and add to the batter, which should be as thick as good cream. Dip each oyster in, and fry in boiling lard. As they are done put them on paper to drain, and serve at once. Oyster Omelet. — Take one dozen goodsized oysters and mince them very fine; beat separately the yolks and whites of six fresh eggs. Now pub three tablespoonfuls of butter into an omelet pan, and make it hot; while the butter is heating stir one cupful of milk into the yolks and season with pepper, salt and a dust of cayenne. Now add the minced oysters, and stir the mixture well. When thoroughly mixed pour in a spoonful of the melted butter, and then whip in the whites of the eggs very lightly. If the butter in the pan is hot, put in the mixture and set on a gentle fire. When the mixture begins to set, slip a broad-bladed knife round the edges and very carefully under the omelet, so that the butter may reach every part. As soon as the centre is set turn it out on a hot dish with the brown side uppermost, and send it to table at once, or ib will lose its lightness. Oysteks au Gratin. — Put 6oz of the best macaroni into a stewpan with three pints of boiling water ; season with salt and pepper, and boil for twenty minutes. Drain the macaroni, and put ib back into the saucepan with half a pint of good stock, and let it simmer gently until the macaroni is quite tender and the gravy ia all absorbed. Turn it out, chop it small, and put it again into the stewpan with a dozen or more of oysters cut into small pieces, 2oz of grated Parmesan cheese, loz of butter, a dust of cayenne, and as much of the oyster liquid as will moisten it. Give the saucepan a good shake over the fire until the cheese is melted, and then pile the mixture high into the middle of a shallow pie-dish, and sprinkle over it 2oz of grated Parmesan cheese and a quarter of aci'.pfulof browned breadcrumbs ; pour over the mixture an ounce of clarified butter, and brown quickly ia an oven or before the fire. Oyster Pie. — Butter the inside of a small shallow pie dish rather thickly, and line the edges with good puff paste. Open and beaxd three dozen good-sized oysters, and lay them in the dish ; season with' salt, cayenne, and ground maco. Sprinkle over them half a cupful of grated breadcrumbs. Mix the strained oyster liquor with a gill of good cream and a teaspoonful of lemon juice. Pour this sauce over the oysters. Put on a puff paste cover, brushed with the yolk of an egg, and bake in a good hot oven. Oyster Cutlets. — Take -Jib of lean and nicely-cooked veal, 2oz of butter, -Jib of large oysters. Mince all very small, and pound in a mortar. Soak three tablespooafuls of breadcrumbs in the strained liquor of the oysters, and add to the veal mixture. Season with pepper, salt, a dust of cayenne, and the juice of half a lemon, and add the beaten yolks of two eggs. Mix all thoroughly. Form in the shape of small cutlets, egg and breadcrumb them, and fry in boiling lard. Drain well and serve in a circle, with fried parsley in the centre of the dish. Eggs and Oysters. — Cut six hardboiled fresh eggs in halves, tako out the yolks, and pound them in a mortar with a ] mixture made of one dozen and a half of bearded oysters, a little lemon juice, a pinch of cayenne, and an ounce of butter. Mix and pound all together thoroughly. Fill the whites of the eggs with the mixture, and serve them on a bed of finely-cut lettuce tossed in a little vinegar and oil. Serve with brown bread and butter. Oysters and Sweetbreads. — Take a sweetbread and soak it in cold water for two hours, and then blanch it in boiling water and a little salt for ten minutes. When cold cut it into pieces about the size j of an oyster, and 2oz of bacon into little I strips. Beard one dozen large oysters and mix them with the meats ; sprinkle all thoroughly with pepper, salt, a tablespoonful of chopped parsley, a very finely-minced shallot, one pinch of powdered thyme, and 4oz of finely-grated breadcrumbs. Place the oysters, bacon, and sweetbreads alternately upon small skewers. Fry them in hot butter until they are lightly browned. When done remove the skewers and pile the fried oysters, meat, &c, on a hot dish. Squeeze the juice of a lemon over them, j and pour on half a pint of good hot gravy. _______________