Pigs in Blankets

A chafing-dish standby that needs almost no translation, though the original leaves out every quantity and the one detail that decides whether the oysters are good or ruined.

• "Cock" is a typo for "cook""Cock" is evidently a typo for "cook" -- read it as cook until the bacon is crisp.
• The hinge: bacon dictates the timing, oysters pay for itShucked oysters are done in about two minutes, when the edges ruffle. Bacon takes longer, so use the thinnest slices you can get, or lay them out and half-render them first so the wrap only needs a minute or two to finish and the oysters do not shrink to erasers.
• Chafing dish means direct pan heatThe blazer pan goes over the flame with no water bath for this. A heavy skillet over medium-high heat does the same job; a broiler or 450F oven on a rack is the closest modern equivalent if you want the fat to drain.
• Bacon then and nowBacon of the period was typically dry-cured and saltier than standard supermarket bacon; the recipe's own call for "thin" slices suggests thinness had to be asked for rather than assumed. Modern water-added bacon steams before it browns, so choose dry-cured and slice or ask for it thin.
• ToothpicksSoak wooden picks in water first so they do not scorch, and count them out before serving so none reach a guest's mouth. Half a toothpick per roll is plenty.
• Dry the oysters properly"Wash and dry" is doing real work here. Wet oysters throw liquid into the fat and the bacon will never crisp. Drain them, blot on paper, and hold them cold until they go into the pan.
• Buy shucked oysters in liquorThe recipe gives no quantities. Counts per pint vary with size, but a pint of small shucked oysters will yield roughly twenty small rolls, enough for an appetizer for a few people. Use small oysters; a large one bursts its wrapper.
• ServingThey must go out hot, so cook in batches straight from the chafing dish onto toast points or crackers, with lemon and cayenne. Held on a platter they go limp within minutes.