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Oysters à la Carême

Warm oyster stew à la Carême: a stock made from oyster liquor and oyster beards, a sauce thickened with butter and flour, seasoned with mushroom, lemon and Madeira; oysters and shrimp are added at the very end without cooking. Served with croutons and parsley.

Source: Henriette Schønberg Erken, Stor kokebok, 1914-utg. s. 138 (falt i det fri)

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About the dish

A fine, warm oyster stew named after the French master chef Antonin Carême. Erken emphasizes that the oysters must not cook – they are added to the sauce at the last moment so they stay tender.

How to make it

  1. 1

    Open the oysters

    Open the oysters and reserve the oyster liquor. Separate out the beards.

  2. 2

    Cook the stock

    Cook the oyster beards together with the oyster liquor and 2 dl meat stock for 10 minutes. Strain the stock.

  3. 3

    Make the sauce

    Brown the butter lightly, stir in the flour and thin with the strained oyster stock and the bouillon. Let the sauce simmer for half an hour.

  4. 4

    Season

    Stir in the mushrooms, lemon juice, Madeira and salt to taste.

  5. 5

    Add oysters and shrimp

    Add the oysters and shrimp to the hot sauce at the very end – they must not cook.

  6. 6

    Plating

    Arrange the stew at once on a slightly deep platter with croutons and parsley leaves around it.

Changes from the original

The ingredient list has been reconstructed from the narrow column (the shrimp quantity in the OCR was unclear and has been set to 1/2 kg). Quantities have been converted to modern units (dl, g), "1 del." = 1 dl. The method has been divided into numbered steps.

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Time machine – what changed?

Pick two editions and see what Henriette Schønberg Erken added, removed or changed between them.

From19141949Modernised
To19141949Modernised
Modernised → 1949 (proofread, p. 166)~83% of the text changedremovedadded
40 stk østers (ferske, i skallet). 1 stor boks champignon (stor boks, avrent). 500 g champignons 1 kg. reker (pillede). 80 g smør. gr. smør 30 g hvetemel. 5 dl gr. hvetemel ½ l. buljong (kjøttkraft). 2 dl kjøttkraft (til koking av østersskjegget). 1 stk sitron (saften). 1 dl madeira. salt (etter smak). crouponger og persille (til garnering). Åpne østersene og ta vare på østersvannet. Skill ut skjegget.. Kok østersskjegget sammen del. madeira salt. Østersene åpnes, skjegget koker med østersvannet og 2 dl del. kjøttkraft i 10 minutter. Sil kraften.. Brun smøret minutten. Smøret brunes lett, rør inn melet og spe irøres melet, spedes med den det silte østerskraften østersvannavkok og buljongen. La sausen småkoke i en halv time.. Rør inn champignon, buljongen, småkoker ¾ time; champignons, sitronsaft, madeira vin og salt etter smak.. Legg østersene efter smak røres i. Østersene og rekene legges i den varme sausen helt til slutt – de må ikke koke.. Anrett stuingen straks på et litt dypt fat med krutonger og persilleblad rundt.

Note on Modernised

Ingredienslisten er rekonstruert fra den smale spalten (rækemengden i OCR-en var utydelig og er satt til 1/2 kg). Mengder er omregnet til moderne enheter (dl, g), «1 del.» = 1 dl. Fremgangsmåten er delt i nummererte trinn.

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Frequently asked questions

Why should the oysters and shrimp not cook in the sauce?
Because they become tough and dry. The sauce is simmered to completion first, and the oysters and shrimp are added at the very end – the dish is plated at that same moment.
What are the oyster beards and oyster liquor used for?
The beards are cooked together with the oyster liquor and 2 dl meat stock for 10 minutes. The cooking liquid is strained and used to thin the roux, together with 1/2 liter of bouillon. The sauce then simmers for half an hour.
How is the dish served?
The stew is arranged on a slightly deep platter with croutons and parsley leaves around the edge. The recipe serves 6 and uses 40 oysters, 1/2 kg shrimp, a large can of mushrooms, lemon juice and 1 dl Madeira.
Where does the recipe come from?
From Henriette Schønberg Erken's "Stor kokebok" (1914), page 138.

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