To prepare oysters for cooking pour over oysters water and take out one at a time, remove any bits of shell. Serious accidents have resulted from the presence of pieces of shells. Oyster juice is seldom used in cooking.

Baked Oysters

Wash two dozen large oysters; put them in baking pan in the oven; bake till they open, keep in the shells. Add to the juice a little cayenne, lemon juice and butter. Serve very hot the oysters and sauce.

Oysters A La Poulette

Put two tablespoons of butter in a hot saucepan; when hot add two tablespoons of chopped onion, one of carrot and parsley, bay leaf, sprig of thyme; simmer for ten minutes, add two tablespoons of flour; have one cup of light-colored stock hot, pour gradually over, strain into double boiler. Season; add one cup of hot cream, stir well, when thick, add one pint of oysters, strain, squeeze over lemon juice, cook till plump and add to the sauce.

Oyster En Coquille

Choose six large oysters; drain. Wash oyster shells. Now marinate the oysters with melted butter, chopped parsley, pepper and salt. Fill the shells, and cover with stale bread crumbs. Put bits of butter on top and brown in very hot oven, then put on each shell one slice of lemon.

Fried Oysters

Drain the oysters, season them with salt and pepper, roll them in a few fine bread crumbs (one by one), dip each one in egg, roll again in crumbs. Let stand one hour. Boil in hot fat one minute. Serve in a hot napkin.

Fancy Roast

Put one tablespoon of butter in a saucepan, add one-half saltspoon of white pepper, one teaspoon of salt, a few grains of cayenne and a tablespoon of tomato catsup. When hot add one pint of oysters and cook until plump and the edges curl. Serve on toast.

Oysters En Beurre Noir

One pint of oysters, two tablespoons of butter, two of vinegar, a speck of cayenne pepper. Put butter in a cold saucepan and brown, be careful not to burn. Strain the oysters, cook until plump and the leaves curl, sprinkle with one-half teaspoon of salt, add to the brown butter into which the vinegar and pepper have been added. Fill Dresden fritters and serve hot.

Oysters And Bacon

Wrap each oyster in a very thin piece of salt pork or bacon, and fasten with a wooden toothpick. Fry in a hot frying-pan until plump and the edges curl. If oysters are allowed to cook too long, and lose their plumpness, they become hard and indigestible.

Curried Oysters

Cook oysters until plump, or until the edges curl. Cook two tablespoons of chopped onion in one tablespoon of butter five minutes. Be careful not to burn. Mix one tablespoon of curry powder with two tablespoons of flour, and stir into the butter; add one pint of hot milk gradually, and stir as directed for white sauce. Add the oysters.

Croustades Of Rice

Wash two pups of rice, pour over the rice six cups of boiling broth, cook till tender, or about one-half hour, season with one-half teaspoon of salt, a speck of cayenne, a tablespoon of butter and a tablespoon of grated cheese, one-fourth of a grated nutmeg. Spread in a buttered pan—that is, one inch thick —cover with greased paper, leave to cool with a weight on top. Cut in rounds with a large biscuit cutter, with a smaller cutter make a round in the center like patties (dip the cutter each time in warm water). Dip croustades in egg, then in bread crumbs; fry in deep fat five minutes; remove the center round, scoop out the center and fill with oysters a la poulette or anything preferred. Cover with the center round.