STEWED OYSTERS

2 dozen oysters
1 oz. butter
Flour
3 tbs. milk or cream
white pepper
salt
Catchup (see Comments) (optional)
Parsley, chopped fine (optional)
Grated lemon peel (optional)
Lemon juice (optional)
Thin cut strips of bread

Large oysters will do for stewing, and by some are preferred; but we love the plump, juicy natives. Stew a couple of dozen of these in their own liquor; when they are coming to a boil, skim well, take them up and beard them; strain the liquor through a tamis-sieve, and lay the oysters on a dish. Put an ounce of butter into a stew-pan; when it is melted, put to it as much flour as will dry it up, the liquor of the oysters, and three table-spoonfuls of milk or cream, and a little white pepper and salt; to this some cooks add a little catchup, or finely-chopped parsley, grated lemon-peel, and juice; let it boil up for a couple of minutes, till it is smooth, then take it off the fire, put in the oysters, and let them get warm (they must not themselves be boiled, or they will become hard); line the bottom and sides of a hash-dish with bread-sippets, and pour your oysters and sauce into it.

From The Cook's Oracle by William Kitchiner MD, New York, 1829

Comment: A tamis-sieve is a fine strainer, in this case of a small enough weave to catch any stray grains of sand which often accompany shellfish. The "catchup" advised here is not the red product sold under that name but a much stronger, more concentrated sauce often based on mushrooms or walnuts rather than tomatoes. Worcestershire sauce would be closer to the item mentioned here than "ketchup" of the ballpark variety. "Sippets" are slices of bread cut into thin rectangular strips, of the same general dimensions as steak fries.

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