Page:Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management.djvu/416

358 oysters should be served, fill them with the oysters and the sauce, cover with breadcrumbs, pour on a little melted butter, and bake in a quick oven just long enough to brown the surface.

Time.—Altogether, 30 to 35 minutes. Average Cost, 3s. 3d. to 3s. 9d. Sufficient for 6 persons. Seasonable from September to April.

Ingredients.—2 small whitings, 6 large sauce oysters, 1½ ozs. of flour, 2 ozs. of butter, about ½ pint of milk, ½ gill of cream, ½ a teaspoonful of anchovy-essence, 3 eggs, seasoning.

Method.—Skin the whitings, remove all the meat from the bones, and pound it in a mortar. Melt the butter in a stewpan, add the flour, and cook a little without browning; moisten with the milk and oyster liquor, stir briskly until quite smooth, then add the cream. Cook a little longer, but stir all the while. Remove the beards from the oysters, cut the latter into dice, and put them into the mixture; season to taste with salt, pepper and nutmeg, work in the yolks of the eggs, the anchovy-essence, and the pounded fish. Whisk the whites of the eggs to a stiff froth, and mingle them carefully with the mixture. Three parts fill a well-buttered soufflé tin or Charlotte mould, steam for about 45 minutes. Remove from the mould, and serve with a white sauce.

Time.—To steam, about 45 minutes. Average Cost, 2s. Sufficient for 6 persons. Seasonable from September to April.

Ingredients.—6 large sauce oysters, 2 eggs, ¼ pint of milk (about) 1 oz. of butter, 1 oz. of flour, salt, pepper.

Method.—Remove the beards of the oysters, simmer them in the oyster liquor for 10 minutes, and cut the oysters into small pieces. Melt the butter in a stewpan, stir in the flour, add the milk, boil well, then let it slightly cool. Separate the whites of the eggs from the yolks, and whisk them to a stiff froth; add the yolks one at a time to the contents of the saucepan, and beat well. When thoroughly mixed put in the oysters, oyster liquor, add seasoning to taste, and lastly the whites of the eggs, which must be added as lightly as possible to the mixture. Have ready some well-buttered china cases, half fill them with the mixture, and bake for about 15 minutes in a moderately hot oven, or steam them over a saucepan of boiling water for 20 minutes. The soufflés may be baked in paper cases, but the latter must previously be well buttered or oiled.

Time.—Altogether, about 40 minutes. Average Cost, 1s. 6d. Allow 8 soufflés for 6 persons. Seasonable from September to April.