No. 2232

Cases of Oysters a la Lorenzo

Caisses d'Huitres a la Lorenzo

Either buttered metal or china cases may be used for these, or else buttered paper ones stiffened in the oven; cover their bottoms and sides with a thin layer of fish quenelle forcemeat (No. 90), mixed with some soubise puree (No. 723). Poach medium-sized oysters in their own liquor and white wine; drain and pare them, cut them up into pieces half an inch in size, and use these to fill in the cases; set on top some mushrooms that have been chopped up raw, fried in butter, then covered with veloute sauce (No. 415) reduced with the oyster liquor and finished with a piece of lobster butter (No. 580) and a dash of cayenne; cover over with a layer of the same forcemeat, smooth and moisten the tops with a brush dipped in melted butter; range the cases on a baking sheet, and set them in a slack oven from twelve to fifteen minutes, then serve.

← No. 2231 Cases of Oysters a la Hilton Miscellaneous Entrées No. 2233 Cases of Quails a la Dejazet →

For the Modern Kitchen

Ranhofer writes for a brigade with a stocked larder, so this reads as a list of cross-references rather than a recipe. Assembled in order, it is a straightforward gratin of oysters and mushrooms bound in a rich veloute, sealed top and bottom with fish mousseline.

Poach the oysters barely at allBring the oysters up in their own liquor with a splash of white wine and pull them the moment the edges ruffle, well under two minutes. The cases then get twelve to fifteen minutes more in the oven, and oysters that were fully cooked at the poaching stage will come out as rubber buttons.
"Slack oven"Around 300F, at most 325F. The point is to set the forcemeat lid and heat the filling through without letting the quenelle mixture break or the sauce split.
The forcemeat (No. 90)Ranhofer's cross-reference is not reproduced here; a fish quenelle forcemeat of the period may be bound with a panada and eggs rather than cream alone. A modern mousseline stands in: about 1 lb skinless white fish (pike, sole, whiting) pureed cold with an egg white, seasoned, then beaten with roughly a cup of heavy cream over ice. Keep everything refrigerator-cold while mixing or it will break.
Soubise (No. 723)An onion puree — onions blanched, stewed in butter until entirely soft with no color, and sieved, sometimes bound with a little rice or bechamel. Fold it into the forcemeat sparingly; too much liquid and the lining slumps off the sides of the case.
Veloute (No. 415) and lobster butter (No. 580)Veloute here is a fish or white stock thickened with a blond roux. Lobster butter is butter pounded with lobster shells and coral, then strained; a compound shellfish butter or a spoonful of good bisque stands in. Whisk it in off the heat so it does not break.
The casesRanhofer allows buttered metal, china or buttered paper cases stiffened in the oven. Small ramekins, ceramic cocottes or scallop shells all work; figure 3 to 4 oz capacity each.
MushroomsChopped raw and fried in butter means a dry duxelles — cook until the water has gone and the pan squeaks, or the moisture will thin the veloute and soak the forcemeat lining.
YieldNot stated. A quart of shucked oysters, cut into half-inch pieces, fills roughly eight to ten small cases — a first course for that many, or four as a light main.

A Little History

The Epicurean (1894) is Charles Ranhofer's record of thirty-odd years as chef at Delmonico's in New York, and the kitchen's habit of naming dishes after the house and its patrons runs through the whole book. The Lorenzo of the title is generally taken to be Lorenzo Delmonico, the nephew who ran the restaurant through its most celebrated decades and who hired Ranhofer. Oysters run through the book because New York harbor and Long Island Sound were still producing them by the barrel, cheap enough to be chopped up and buried under lobster butter and fish mousseline without anyone thinking it extravagant. The construction itself — a lined case, a garnish, a sealed forcemeat lid — is pure Careme-descended haute cuisine, the sort of thing a brigade could build a hundred of in the afternoon and fire to order.