boil, and skim; then add the cream or milk, with which the flour
should first be mixed. Let this boil two minutes, and add the butter,
salt, pepper and nutmeg, and then the oysters. Take from the fire
immediately. Taste to see if seasoned enough. Have the shells
buttered, and sprinkled lightly with crumbs. Nearly fill them with the
prepared oysters; then cover thickly with crumbs. Put the shells in a
baking-pan, and bake fifteen minutes. Serve very hot, on a large
platter, which garnish with parsley. The quantity given above will
fill twelve common-sized shells.

Oyster Chartreuse.

One quart of oysters, one pint of cream, one small slice of onion,
half a cupful of milk, whites of four eggs, two table-spoonfuls of
butter, salt, pepper, two table-spoonfuls of flour, one cupful of
fine, dry bread crumbs, six potatoes. Pare and boil the potatoes. Mash
fine and light, and add the milk, salt, pepper, one spoonful of
butter, and then the whites of the eggs, beaten to a stiff froth. Have
a two-quart charlotte russe mould well buttered, and sprinkle the
bottom and sides with the bread crumbs (there must be butter enough to
hold the crumbs). Line the mould with the potato, and let stand for a
few minutes. Put the cream and onion on to boil. Mix the flour with a
little cold milk or cream--about one-fourth of a cupful--and stir into
the boiling cream. Season well with salt and pepper, and cook eight
minutes. Let the oysters come to a boil in their own liquor. Skim
them, and drain of all the juice. Take the piece of onion from the
sauce, and add the oysters. Taste to see if seasoned enough, and turn
gently into the mould. Cover with the remainder of the potato, being
careful not to put on too much at once, as in that case the sauce
would be forced to the top. When covered, bake half an hour in a hot