of cream; cayenne and salt to taste; 1 blade of pounded mace.
_Mode_.--Scald the oysters in their own liquor, take them out, beard
them, and strain the liquor; put the butter into a stewpan, dredge in
sufficient flour to dry it up, add the oyster-liquor and mace, and stir
it over a sharp fire with a wooden spoon; when it comes to a boil, add
the cream, oysters, and seasoning. Let all simmer for 1 or 2 minutes,
but not longer, or the oysters would harden. Serve on a hot dish, and
garnish with croutons, or toasted sippets of bread. A small piece of
lemon-peel boiled with the oyster-liquor, and taken out before the cream
is added, will be found an improvement.
_Time_.--Altogether 15 minutes.
_Average cost_ for this quantity, 3s. 6d.
_Seasonable_ from September to April.
_Sufficient_ for 6 persons.
THE OYSTER AND THE SCALLOP.--The oyster is described as a
bivalve shell-fish, having the valves generally unequal. The
hinge is without teeth, but furnished with a somewhat oval
cavity, and mostly with lateral transverse grooves. From a
similarity in the structure of the hinge, oysters and scallops
have been classified as one tribe; but they differ very
essentially both in their external appearance and their habits.
Oysters adhere to rocks, or, as in two or three species, to
roots of trees on the shore; while the scallops are always
detached, and usually lurk in the sand.
OYSTER PATTIES (an Entree).