Back in 2012 when I cooked every day from The Berlin Cook Book (1906), there were several chapters of recipes that I avoided. I don’t like seafood so I rarely cooked from the Fish and Oysters section. This weekend I am visiting with my father and brother who like fish so it is time to tackle one of the recipes in this neglected section. This chapter has fifteen recipes for oysters and I’ve only tackled two of them so I decided to pick one — if I could find the necessary supplies.
The small town grocery store did not have any fresh oysters but had cans of Cloverleaf Pacific Oysters in water. I decided to use them to make the Creamed Oysters recipe submitted by Mrs. J. Decker.
This ad appeared in the Canadian Grocer magazine in 1906.
Fresh oysters were available in 1906 in Berlin grocery stores. Even the stores in smaller rural communities had fresh oysters in November and December since they were a popular Christmas dish and were needed for the popular oyster suppers held in community halls and at churches. Canned oysters were also available by 1906 and made an acceptable substitute for some recipes when fresh were not available.
The first step was to make the cream sauce. It begins with a roux (butter and flour) and then adding the hot milk. I melted the 1/2 tablespoon of butter in a small saucepan and then added 1 heaping tablespoon of flour. I heated the 1 cup of milk and slowly added it to the roux. I kept stirring until it thickened. I added a few shakes of salt and pepper and the 1 teaspoon of celery salt. Sometimes people are surprised that celery salt was available in the early 20th century but this ingredient appears in several recipes in the cook book.
It was now time to heat the oysters. I opened the can and poured everything (oysters and liquid) into a small saucepan. I used a low heat and made sure I took them off the stove once they were hot. It was time to put everything together. I strained the oysters into a bowl and then strained my creamed sauce since it had a few lumps. We toasted some bread and took it along with the bowl of creamed oysters to the table. It was time to taste.
Mrs. J. Decker is likely Veronica Kirsch, wife of John Decker (also spelled Decher). Their daughter Nellie also contributed recipes for the Berlin Cook Book. Veronica was born in Formosa in Bruce County Ontario in 1858. Her parents were born in Germany and her father was a shoemaker and so was her husband. Perhaps this shared trade connected the young couple since John was from Waterloo County and Veronica was still living in Bruce County when they married in Walkerton in 1877. They also didn’t share a religion as John was Lutheran and Veronica was Catholic according to their marriage records and censuses. They maintained this religious diversity as the 1911 census lists them as Lutheran and Catholic while their twelve children are recorded as Church of England. The couple spent the first years of their marriage in Walkerton but moved to Berlin around 1897.
The finished product – creamed oysters.
My father chose to put his creamed oysters on a piece of toast while my brother put his serving on his plate and had the toast separate. I bravely took a bite of one little oyster. I didn’t like it but that doesn’t mean much as I don’t like seafood. However, my father ate his but also doesn’t enjoy oysters. He prefers things like shrimp. My brother loved Creamed Oysters and even though he liked the oysters straight from the can he felt this cream sauce made them even better. I also liked the cream sauce. Celery salt is not a seasoning a regularly use but perhaps I should consider trying it more often. This recipe can time travel to 2019, if you have a can of oysters handy. Canned oysters are not cheap but this sort of cream sauce could be used with canned salmon too.
CREAMED OYSTERS
Mrs. J. Decker
To 1/2 tablespoon butter melted in a saucepan, add 1 heaping tablespoon flour, cook a few moments and stir in gradually one cup of hot milk, season with salt, pepper, and 1 teaspoonful of celery salt, wash and pick over 1 pint of fine oysters, boil them in their own liquor until plump, drain and pour over them the sauce.
366dayswiththeberlincookbook 