Not everyone likes oysters. In fact, I wasn’t too sure of them myself. So I wasn’t really surprised when finding guests to try turkey stuffed with oysters proved a bit difficult. Some people I asked were evasive, claiming, “I’m not really a fan of oysters,” or “I think I’m busy. When did you say it would be?” Others were more blunt. “No way! I hate oysters.” But one couple was enthusiastic from the start. “How unusual. Count us in,” they said.
They would have fit in well back in colonial times and the early republic when oysters were quite popular, judging by period cookbooks. There are two recipes for various ways of serving oysters in The American Frugal Housewife (1833), three in Martha Washington’s Booke of Cookery (from 1749), nine in The Virginia Housewife Or, Methodical Cook (1824), and twelve in The Universal Cook or Lady’s Complete Assistant (1733). Amelia Simmons cautions a housewife to buy only fresh fish, but allows oysters can be brought many miles inland”and retain a good relish” (6) and offers recipe for turkey stuffed with oysters in American Cookery (1796) the first cookbook printed in theUnited States.
Of course, oysters have been a healthy, popular food for many centuries. Folk-wisdom claims oysters can only be eaten in months with an ‘r’ in it. This is possibly due to the spawning season and hot weather. However, with the advent of refrigeration and types of oysters bred to be sterile, oysters can be safely eaten year-round, even though here in small-town Minnesota, it’s impossible to find fresh oysters in the spring and summer. Around here, oysters are popular for Christmas Eve, when many people traditionally serve Oyster stew.
It is especially fitting to talk of oysters in the month of February, when oysters are at their peak and we gear up toward that most romantic holiday, Valentine’s Day. Legend has it that oysters are an aphrodisiac. (There may be some fact in this suppositon, since oysters are high in zinc, which helps stimulate testosterone production, along with other minerals that improve overall health and stimulate the libido.)
In spite of the long-time love affair America has had with oysters, pairing oysters with turkey seemed an odd combination. However, nearly all of the Eighteenth Century cookbooks I consulted put the two together as at least one of the options for preparing fowl. Obviously, common cookery practice insisted turkey should be stuffed with oyster forcement (stuffing) and /or served with oyster sauce. The recipe I followed for this dish also deviated from our usual perception of turkey because it called for boiling the bird. The goal, it seems, was to present a creamy white bird, with no browning on the skin whatsoever. Mary Randolph suggests leaving the turkey in the pot with the lid on to finish cooking from the steam will ‘keep the skin whole, tender, and very white” (71).
The results? The meal was surprisingly delicious. The turkey was moist and tender. The oyster stuffing with a hint of black pepper complemented it nicely, and the oyster sauce added a bit of zing to the meal. It just goes to show, that even though tastes in food have changed, it’s worth exploring flavors from the past for an unexpected treat. And thank you, to the Rethlefsons, who were willing to try.
To Boil a Turkey with Oyster Sauce
Grate a loaf of bread, chop a score or more of oysters fine, add nutmeg, pepper and salt to your taste mix it up into a light forcemeat with a quarter of a pound of butter, a spoonful or two of cream, and three eggs; stuff the craw with it, and ke the rest into balls and boil them; sew up the turkey, dedge it well with flour, put it in a kettle of cold water, cover it, and set it over the fire; as the scum begins to rise, take it off, let it boil very slowly for half an hour, then take off your kettle and keep it closely covered; if it be of a middle size, let it stand in the hot water half an hour, the steam being kept in, will stew it enough, make it rise,keep the skin whole, tender, and very white; when you dish it pour on a little oyster sauce, lay the balls round, and serve it up with the rest of the sauce in a boat. (Randolph 71)
Modern version:
Cut in small cubes 1 loaf of wheat bread (Iused a 1 lb, day old, homemade loaf). This makes about 8 c. of crumbs.
Mince about 1 lb oy oysters (20-30 oysters)
Add oysters to the bread crumbs. Mix in ½ c. butter (melted), 2 T. cream, ¼ t. Nutmeg, 1 t. Pepper, 1 t. Salt, and 3 eggs (beaten slightly).
Stuff a small turkey (10 lbs) with about half of this mixture. (Put the stuffing in the body cavity and the smaller cavity covered by the loose breast skin.) Secure the extra skin over the opening with skewers. Tie the legs and put the stuffed bird in a large kettle. Add enough water to cover the bird.
Bring to a boil, and simmer for about 2 hours. (I found the turkey was not done after the 1 hour cooking time suggested in the recipe.)
About half an hour before serving the meal, form the rest of the stuffing into small balls (about the size of eggs). Drop these in boiling water,and boil for about ½ an hour.
Put the turkey on a platter. Drain the extra stuffing balls and place around the turkey to serve it.
I also served an oyster sauce with this, made from a combination of different Eighteenth century suggestions.
My oyster sauce:
Heat a pound of oysters in their own broth. Add 1 cup of light wine, ¼ t. Of mace, and ¼ t. Pepper. Bring to a slow boil. Mix 4 T. butter with ¼ c. flour. Stir the floured butter into the boiling mixture. Boil, stirring constantly for 2 minutes, or until it thickens.
Sources:
Randolph, Mary. The Virginia Housewife Or, Methodical Cook. Philadelphia: E. H. Butler and Co., 1860. Reprinted Dover Publications,1993.
Townshend, John. The Universal Cook Or Lady’s Complete Assistant. London: S. Bladon, 1773.
BRIC-A-BRAC 