_To roast Oysters._

Strain the liquor from the oysters, wash them very clean and give them a scald in boiling liquor or water; then cut small lard of a fat salt eel, & lard them with a very small larding-p.r.i.c.k, spit them on a small spit for that service; then beat two or three yolks of eggs with a little grated bread, or nutmeg, salt, and a little rosemary & tyme minced very small; when the oysters are hot at the fire, baste them continually with these ingredients, laying them pretty warm at the fire. For the sauce boil a little white-wine, oyster-liquor, a sprig of tyme, grated bread, and salt, beat it up thick with b.u.t.ter, and rub the dish with a clove of garlick.

_To roast Oysters otherways._

Take two quarts of large great oysters, and parboil them in there own liquor, then take them out, wash them from the dregs, and wipe them dry on a clean cloth; then haue slices of a fat salt eel, as thick as a half crown peice, season the oysters with nutmeg, and salt, spit them on a fine small wooden spit for that purpose, spit first a sage leafe, then a slice of eel, and then an oyster, thus do till they be all spitted, and bind them to another spit with packthread, baste them with yolks of eggs, grated bread and stripped time, and lay them to a warm fire with here and there a clove in them; being finely roasted make sauce with the gravy, that drops from them, blow off the fat, and put to it some claret wine, the juyce of an orange, grated nutmeg, and a little b.u.t.ter, beat it up thick together with some of the oyster-liquor, and serve them on this sauce with slices of orange.

_Otherways._

Take the greatest oysters you can get, being opened parboil them in their own liquor, save the liquor, & wash the oysters in some water, wipe them dry, & being cold lard them with eight or ten lardons through each oyster, the lard being first seasoned with cloves, pepper, & nutmeg, beaten very small; being larded, spit them upon two wooden scuers, bind them to an iron spit and rost them, baste them with anchove sauce made of some of the oyster-liquor, let them drip in it, and being enough bread them with the crust of a roul grated, then dish them, blow the fat off the gravy, put it to the oysters, and wring on them the juyce of a lemon.

_To broil Oysters._

Take great oysters and set them on a gridiron with the heads downwards, put them up an end, and broil them dry, brown, and hard, then put two or three of them in a sh.e.l.l with some melted b.u.t.ter, set them on the gridiron till they be finely stewed, then dish them on a plate, and fill them up with good b.u.t.ter only melted, or beaten with juyce of orange, pepper them lightly, and serve them up hot.

_To broil Oysters otherways upon paper._

Broil them on a gridiron as before, then take them out of the sh.e.l.ls into a dish, and chuse out the fairest, then have a sheet of white paper made like a dripping pan, set it on the gridiron, and run it over with clarified b.u.t.ter, lay on some sage leaves, some fine thin slices of a fat fresh eel, being parboil'd, and some oysters, stew them on the hot embers, and being finely broil'd, serve them on a dish and a plate in the paper they are boil'd in, and put to them beaten b.u.t.ter, juyce of orange, and slices of lemon.

_To broil large Oysters otherways._

Take a pottle of great oysters opened & parboil them in there own liquor, being done, pour them in to a cullender, and save the liquor, then wash the oysters in warm water from the grounds, wipe them with a clean cloth, beard them, and put them in a pipkin, put to them large mace, two great onions, some b.u.t.ter, some of their own liquor, some white-wine, wine vinegar, and salt; stew them together very well, then set some of the largest sh.e.l.ls, on a gridiron, put 2 or 3 in a sh.e.l.l, with some of the liquor out of the pipkin, broil them on a soft fire, and being broil'd, set them on a dish and plate, and fill them up with beaten b.u.t.ter.

Sometimes you may bread them in the broiling.

_To fry Oysters._

Take two quarts of great Oysters being parboil'd in their own liquor, and washed in warm water, bread them, dry them, and flour them, fry them in clarified b.u.t.ter crisp and white, then have b.u.t.ter'd prawns or shrimps, b.u.t.ter'd with cream and sweet b.u.t.ter, lay them in the bottom of a clean dish, and lay the fryed oysters round about them, run them over with beaten b.u.t.ter, juyce of oranges, bay-leaves stuck round the Oysters, and slices of oranges or lemons.

_Otherways._

Strain the liquor from the oysters, wash them, and parboil them in a kettle, then dry them and roul them in flour, or make a batter with eggs, flour, a little cream, and salt, roul them in it, and fry them in b.u.t.ter. For the sauce, boil the juyce of two or three oranges, some of their own liquor, a slic't nutmeg, and claret; being boil'd a little, put in a piece of b.u.t.ter, beating it up thick, then warm the dish, rub it with a clove of garlick, dish the oysters, and garnish them with slices of orange.

_To bake Oysters._

Parboil your oysters in their own liquor, then take them out and wash them in warm water from the dregs dry them and season them with pepper, nutmeg, yolks of hard eggs, and salt; the pye being made, put a few currans in the bottom, and lay on the oysters, with some slic't dates in halves, some large mace, slic't lemon, barberries and b.u.t.ter, close it up and bake it, then liquor it with white-wine, sugar, and b.u.t.ter; or in place of white-wine, use verjuyce.

[Ill.u.s.tration: _The Forms of Oyster Pyes._]

_To bake Oysters otherways._

Season them with pepper, salt, and nutmegs, the same quant.i.ty as beforesaid, and the same quant.i.ty oysters, two or three whole onions, neither currans nor sugar, but add to it in all respects else; as slic't nutmeg on them, large mace, hard eggs in halves, barberries, and b.u.t.ter, liquor it with beaten nutmeg, white-wine, and juyce of oranges.

Otherways, for change, in the seasoning put to them chopped tyme, hard eggs, some anchoves, and the foresaid spices.

Or bake them in Florentines, or patty-pans, and give them the same seasoning as you do the pies.

Or take large oysters, broil them dry and brown in the sh.e.l.ls, and season them with former spices, bottoms of boil'd artichocks, pickled mushrooms, and no onions, but all things else as the former, liquor them with beaten b.u.t.ter, juyce of orange, and some claret wine.

_Otherways._

Being parboil'd in their own liquor, season them with a little salt, sweet herbs minced small one spoonful, fill the pie, and put into it three or four blades of large mace, a slic't lemon, and on flesh days a good handful of marrow rouled in yolks of eggs and b.u.t.ter, close it up and bake it, make liquor for it with two nutmegs grated, a little pepper, b.u.t.ter, verjuyce, and sugar.

_To make an Oyster Pye otherways._

Take a pottle of oysters, being parboil'd in their own liquor, beard and dry them, then season them with large mace, whole pepper, a little beaten ginger, salt, b.u.t.ter, and marrow, then close it up and bake it, and being baked, make a lear with white wine the oyster liquor, and one onion, or rub the ladle with garlick you beat it up with all; it being boil'd, put in a pound of b.u.t.ter, with a minced lemon, a f.a.ggot of sweet herbs, and being boil'd put in the liquor.

_To make minced Pies or Chewits of Oysters._

Take three quarts of great oysters ready opened and parboil'd in their own liquor, then wash them in warm water from the dregs, dry them and mince them very fine, season them lightly with nutmeg, pepper, salt, cloves, mace, cinamon, caraway-seed, some minced, rasins of the sun, slic't dates, sugar, currans, and half a pint of white wine, mingle all together, and put b.u.t.ter in the bottoms of the pies, fill them up and bake them.

_To bake Oysters otherways._

Season them with pepper, salt, nutmeg, and sweet herbs strowed on them in the pie, large mace, barberries, b.u.t.ter, and a whole onion or two, for liquor a little white wine, and wine-vinegar, beat it up thick with b.u.t.ter, and liquor the pie, cut it up, and lay on a slic't lemon, let not the lemon boil in it, and serve it hot.

_Otherways._

Season them as before with pepper, nutmeg, and salt, being bearded, but first fry them in clarified b.u.t.ter, then take them up and season them, lay them in the pie being cold, put b.u.t.ter to them and large mace, close it up and bake it; then make liquor with a little claret wine and juyce of oranges, beat it thick with b.u.t.ter, and a little wine vinegar, liquor the pie, lay on some slices of orange, and set it again into the oven a little while.

_To bake Oysters otherways._

Take great oysters, beard them, and season them with grated nutmeg, salt, and some sweet herbs minc'd small, lay them in the pye with a small quant.i.ty of the sweet herbs strowed on them, some twenty whole corns of pepper, slic't ginger, a whole onion or two, large mace, and some b.u.t.ter, close it up and bake it, and make liquor with white-wine, some of their own liquor, and a minced lemon, and beat it up thick.

_Otherways._

Broil great oysters dry in the sh.e.l.ls, then take them out, and season them with great nutmeg, pepper, and salt, lay them in the pye, and strow on them the yolks of two hard eggs minced, some stripp'd tyme, some capers, large mace, and b.u.t.ter; close it up, and make liquor with claret wine, wine vinegar, b.u.t.ter, and juyce of oranges, and beat it up thick, and liquor the pye, set it again into the oven a little while, and serve it hot.

_To make a made Dish of Oysters and other Compounds._

Take oysters, c.o.c.kles, prawns, craw-fish, and shrimps, being finely cleans'd from the grit, season them with nutmeg, pepper, and salt, next have chesnuts roasted, and blanch't, skerrets boil'd, blanched and seasoned; then have a dish or patty-pan ready with a sheet of cool b.u.t.ter paste, lay some b.u.t.ter on it, then the fishes, and on them the skirrets, chesnuts, pistaches, slic't lemon, large mace, barberries, and b.u.t.ter; close it up and bake it, and being baked, fill it up with beaten b.u.t.ter, beat with juyce of oranges, and some white-wine, or beaten b.u.t.ter with a little wine-vinegar, verjuyce, or juyce of green grapes, or a little good fresh fish broth, cut it up and liquor it, lay on the cover or cut it into four or five pieces, lay it round the dish, and serve it hot.