The St. Louis Republic., 1902-09-21

WRITTEN FOR THE SUNDAY REPUBLIC
Adapted as It Is to an almost endless
variety Of culinary processes, and in ono
form or another suited to every meal from
breakfast to the after~the-theater supper,
and from the simple luncheon to the cere-
uaonious dinner. the oyster is an invaluable
adjunct 20 the household supphes- Not the
least among the oysters Advantages are its
nutrittvs qualities. II cooked properly the
oyster u easily diSasted and lends itself
readily 70 the sick oiet. But too many
aousekeepers forget that. like the egg Il Is
toughened by overlooking and high de-
gree OF heat Many persons who are mind
full Of this fact IN stews, overlook It In such
processes es escalloping. devidng. frying.
etc., and the bivslve appears In an rnat-
tractivs and unwholesome, leathsry form.
However It Is to be cooked, the process
should result only In curling the gills and
pumping the body.
ON THE HALF SHE'LL
For the half shell as an introductory
course the oyster should be thoroughly
chilled II served in the rounding half OF the
shell Its Juice win be saved from waste, but
convention has prescribed the fat shell for
the ceremonious dinner. Small oysters arc
preferable for this use. The oyster shells
may be placed with the small ends toward
the center on q bed of cracked ice at the
with crisp folded napkin and the shells
may be arranged on that. Whether the ice
Is used or not the shells should be thorough
ly chilled. With the raw oysters are served
sections OF lemon and sandwiches made Of
thin buttered slices OF brown or white bread.
The unsalted butter Is often used for this
purpose and over II minced olives are some
times sprinkied lightly.
Care always should be taken to remove
grit and fragments Of shells. which are
dangerous. The best way is TO drain of the
liquor. strain It and save 1t Then plunge
} each oyster into clear, cold water and run
the thumb and first finger Of the left hand
over II to insure its freedom from foreign
substances
CREANED OYSTERS.
For cream sauces frying and various
other procedures. the oyster Is improved by
first cooking 1t slightly in butter and lemon
Juice Sometimes. for buffet luncheon
especially. il is desirable that the creamed
oyster shall remain stationary on one side
OF the individual plate in order to make
place for sandwiches and other elements OF
the menu For this purpose an additional
amount of hickening is required for the
cream sauce. A satisfactory formula calls
for two tablespoonfuls OF -four to one table
spoonful of butter. and a cupful OF milk and
cream mingled In equal proportions. First.
melt a level tablespoonful of butter and add
a half tablespoonful of lemon Juice Turn
into the pan fifteen medium-sized oysters
and cook them until the gills curl and the
bodies are plump. Remove the oysters. add
a tablespoonful Of butter to the liquid al
ready in the pan. and when It melts run In
two tablespoonfuls of -four and cook with
out browning for four minutes,
II the mixture becomes too thick to man
age add a tablespoonful OF two of oyster
licuor Then add the one-half cupfuI or
milk and cook until It thiclens. Stir IN at
the last the half cupful Of cream Add the
oysters, scaid and serve hot
II the creamed oysters are to be served
In shells of any kind. china or earthen IN
cividual ramekins. casseroles or anything
substantial. only one tablespoonful Of f1our
will be needed for the mixture described. In
either case, the sauce should be seasoned
With salt and white mace. The yolks of one
or two eggs may be added after the sauce