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Escaloped Oysters

Take crushed crackers, not too fine; drain liquor from a quart of oysters and carefully remove all bits of shell, butter a deep dish or pan, cover the bottom with crackers, put in a layer of oysters seasoned with salt and pepper and bits of butter in plenty, then a layer of crackers, then oysters, and so on until dish is full, finishing with the crackers covered with bits of butter; pour over the whole the oyster-liquor added to one pint of boiling water (boiled and skimmed), place in a hot oven, bake half an hour, add another pint of hot water, or half pint water and half pint of milk, in which a small lump of butter has been melted; bake another half hour, and, to prevent browning too much, cover with a tin or sheet-iron lid. All bread-crumbs, or a mixture of crackers and bread-crumbs may be used when more convenient. As the amount of liquor in oysters varies, and the proportion of crackers or breadcrumbs to the oysters also varies, the quantity of water must be Some increased or diminished according to judgment and taste. prefer to cook half the time given above. Boiled macaroni may be used in place of cracker-crumbs.

Or, cover the bottom of a well-buttered baking dish with a layer of crumbs, and wet these with the cream or milk, one-haif cup put on spoon by spoon, salt and pepper, and add bits of butter; add one quart of oysters and liquor, pepper and bits of butter. Then cover thickly with crumbs and on them place more pieces of butter. Place in oven and cover-this is very important, as the flavor is thereby not allowed to escape-and bake till the juice bubbles up, from half to three-quarters of an hour. Remove cover and brown in upper part of oven for a few minutes, not long. Serve in dish in which it was baked.