_To blanch._--Set the oysters and a little water on the fire in a saucepan, take them off at the first boil, skim off the sc.u.m from the top, strain them, and drop them in cold water.
The skimming, straining, and dropping in cold water must be done quickly--the quicker the better. If allowed to stay in the warm water, or out of water, they get tough.
In dropping them in cold water, see that they are free from pieces of sh.e.l.l; take them with a fork if necessary.
As soon as in cold water they are ready for use, but they must always be drained again before using them.
When the water used to blanch is employed in preparing them, it is explained in the different receipts.
White wine may be used, instead of water, to blanch them, according to taste.
_Fried._--Open the oysters, and put them in a colander for about half an hour. They must be as well drained as possible. Then dip them in egg and roll in bread-crumbs in the following way: Beat one or two, or three, eggs (according to the quant.i.ty of oysters to be fried), as for an omelet, turn the oysters into the eggs and stir gently; then take one after another, roll in bread-crumbs; place each one on your left hand, in taking them from the crumbs, and with the other hand press gently on it. Put them away in a cool place for about half an hour, and then dip again in egg, roll in bread-crumbs, and press in the hand as before. It is not indispensable to dip in egg and roll in crumbs a second time; but the oysters are better, and you are well repaid for the little extra work it requires. While you are preparing them, set some fat on the fire in a pan, and when hot enough (_see_ Frying) drop the oysters in, stir gently, take off with a skimmer when fried, turn into a colander, add salt, and serve hot.
_Roasted._--Place the oysters on a hot stove or range, or on coals, and as soon as they open take off, remove one sh.e.l.l; turn a little melted b.u.t.ter on each, and serve.
There are several other ways.
When blanched, they are served on toast, a little gravy is added, the toast placed on a dessert-plate, and served thus.
_Broiled_ and roasted as above is the same thing.
Oysters scalloped on their own sh.e.l.l, and placed on the range instead of in the oven, are also called broiled.
_Scalloped._--Place the oysters when thoroughly washed on a hot stove, and as soon as they open remove one sh.e.l.l, the flatter one of the two, and take them from the fire. Sprinkle salt, pepper, chopped parsley, and bread-crumbs on them; place on each a piece of b.u.t.ter the size of a hazel-nut; put in the oven about ten minutes, and when done add a few drops of meat-gravy, to each, and serve hot.
_Another._--Put a quart of oysters and their liquor in a saucepan, set it on the fire, take off at the first boil, and drain. Set a saucepan on the fire with two ounces of b.u.t.ter in it; as soon as melted, add a teaspoonful of flour, stir, and, when turning rather brown, add the juice of the oysters, about a gill of gravy, salt, and pepper; boil gently for about ten minutes, stirring now and then. While it is boiling, place the oysters on scallop-sh.e.l.ls, or on silver sh.e.l.ls made for that purpose, two or three oysters on each, turn some of the above sauce on each, after it has boiled; dust with bread-crumbs, put a little piece of b.u.t.ter on each sh.e.l.l, and bake for about twelve minutes in a warm oven.
A dozen silver sh.e.l.ls served thus make a sightly and excellent dish.
Some truffles, chopped fine, may be added to the sauce, two minutes before taking it from the fire.
_Stewed._--Procure two quarts of good and fresh oysters. Set them on a sharp fire, with their liquor and a little water, and blanch as directed. Put four ounces of b.u.t.ter in a saucepan, set on the fire, and when melted stir into it a small tablespoonful of flour; as soon as mixed, add also a teaspoonful of parsley, chopped fine, and about half a pint of broth; boil gently about ten minutes, then add the oysters, salt and pepper, boil again about one minute, dish the whole, sprinkle lemon-juice on, and serve.
An oyster soup is often called a stew.
_In Poulette._--In adding chopped mushrooms to the stewed oysters, at the same time that the oysters are put in the pan, you make them in _poulette_.
_A la Washington._--Fried oysters are called _a la Washington_, when two, three, or four very large oysters are put together (they adhere very easily), dipped in egg, rolled in bread-crumbs, and fried, as directed above. It is necessary to have a deep pan, and much fat, to immerse them completely.
_Pickled_ oysters are always served as a _hors d"oeuvre_. Place around the oysters some hard-boiled eggs, chopped fine, and serve with oil and vinegar.
Serve them in the same way, with slices of truffles instead of hard-boiled eggs.
They may also be served with lemon-juice only.
Or with shallots chopped fine, and then bruised in a coa.r.s.e towel. This last one is considered of too strong a taste for ladies.
They are also served with a Tartar sauce.
_Scallops._--Blanch the scallops for three minutes, drain them. Put b.u.t.ter on the fire in a frying-pan, and when melted turn the scallops in; stir now and then, take from the fire when fried, add parsley chopped fine, salt, pepper, and serve warm.
_On the Sh.e.l.l._--Chop fine a middling-sized onion, and fry it with one ounce of b.u.t.ter. While the onion is frying, chop fine also one quart of scallops and put them with the onion; stir for two or three minutes, or till about half fried, when turn the juice off, put back on the fire, and add one ounce of b.u.t.ter, one gill of white wine, stir for two or three minutes, and if too thick add the juice you have turned off; take from the fire, and mix a yolk of egg with it, add salt, pepper, nutmeg grated, and parsley chopped fine.
Have the scallop sh.e.l.ls properly cleaned, or silver sh.e.l.ls, spread the mixture on the sh.e.l.ls; dust with bread-crumbs, put a piece of b.u.t.ter about the size of a hazel-nut on each, and put in an oven, at about 320 deg. Fahr., for from ten to fifteen minutes.
This is a dish for _breakfast_.
Scallop, scollop, or escalop, are one and the same fish.
CLAMS.
Wash clean with a scrubbing-brush and put them in a kettle; set on a good fire, and leave till they are wide open; then take from the kettle, cut each in two or three pieces, put them in a stewpan with all the water they have disgorged in the kettle, and about four ounces of b.u.t.ter for fifty clams; boil slowly about an hour, take from the fire, and mix with the whole two beaten eggs, and serve warm.
Clams are also eaten raw with vinegar, salt, and pepper.
_Chowder._--This popular dish is made in a hundred different ways, but the result is about the same.
It is generally admitted that boatmen prepare it better than others, and the receipts we give below came from the most experienced chowder-men of the Harlem River.
Potatoes and crackers are used in different proportions, the more used, the thicker the chowder will be.
Put in a _pot_ (technical name) some small slices of fat salt pork, enough to line the bottom of it; on that, a layer of potatoes, cut in small pieces; on the potatoes, a layer of chopped onions; on the onions, a layer of tomatoes, in slices, or canned tomatoes; on the latter a layer of clams, whole or chopped (they are generally chopped), then a layer of crackers.
Then repeat the process, that is, another layer of potatoes on that of the clams; on this, one of onions, etc., till the pot is nearly full.
Every layer is seasoned with salt and pepper. Other spices are sometimes added according to taste; such as thyme, cloves, bay-leaves, and tarragon.
When the whole is in, cover with water, set on a slow fire, and when nearly done, stir gently, finish cooking, and serve.
As we remarked above, the more potatoes that are used, the thicker it will be.
When done, if found too thin, boil a little longer; if found too thick, add a little water, give one boil, and serve.
_Another way._--Proceed as above in every particular, except that you omit the clams and crackers, and when the rest is nearly cooked, then add the chopped clams and broken crackers, boil fast about twenty-five minutes longer, and serve.
If found too thick or too thin, proceed exactly as for the one above.
_Fish Chowder._--This is made exactly as clam chowder, using fish instead of clams.
_Clam Bake._--This is how it is made by the Harlem River clam-baker, Tom Riley.
Lay the clams on a rock, edge downward, and forming a circle, cover them with fine brush; cover the brush with dry sage; cover the sage with larger brush; set the whole on fire, and when a little more than half burnt (brush and sage), look at the clams by pulling some out, and if done enough, brush the fire, cinders, etc., off; mix some tomato or cauliflower sauce, or catsup, with the clams (minus their sh.e.l.ls); add b.u.t.ter and spices to taste, and serve.
Done on sand, the clams, in opening, naturally allow the sand to get in, and it is anything but pleasant for the teeth while eating them.
BEEF.