Mussels with Shallot

Set into a saucepan a few dozen, medium sized mussels; let them open over a brisk fire, with a bunch of parsley added, and toss them about until the meats get firm. Drain them through a colander laid over a bowl, in order to collect all their broth, then remove the empty shells from each, and put the mussels back into the saucepan to keep warm. Put into another saucepan two spoonfuls of chopped shallot, and one of onions; add a gill of white wine, and two spoonfuls of tarragon vinegar; reduce the liquid slowly to half, remove the saucepan from the fire, and let the contents get partially cold, then stir in three or four raw egg-yolks. Beat with a spoon, and thicken the liquid slightly by stirring it on the fire, then take it off, and incorporate into it slowly, five ounces of butter divided into small pats, without ceasing to stir; finish the sauce with two spoonfuls of shallot juice, chopped parsley and lemon juice. Dress the mussels into a vegetable dish, pour over the sauce and serve.

OYSTERS (Huitres).

A bivalve having an irregular shell attached by hinges, and having an oblong, grooved indent across. It is headless, toothless and sexless; it cannot live out of water, and is specially fond of the mouths of rivers. The fishing begins in September, and finishes in the latter part of April; in all the intervening months, or those containing no letter R in their names, the oysters are replaced by Little Neck clams. Fresh oysters are easier digested in the raw state than when cooked, for the heat hardens them while the sea water in the raw ones facilitates digestion. Oysters contain plenty of water, very little solid animal matter, a great deal of lime and sulphate of iron, osmazome and gelatin. These bivalves agree with worn-out constitutions, but should be eaten very fresh. Like certain fishes, oysters contain phosphorus.