Croustade of Oyster, page 63

Have a loaf of bread baked in a round two quart basin, when two or three days old cut out with a sharp knife the heart of the bread being careful not to break the crust. Break up crumbs very fine, and dry slowly in an oven, then quickly fry three cupfuls of them in two tablespoonfuls of butter; as soon as they begin to look golden and are crisp they are done. Put one pint of cream to boil, and when it boils, stir in one tablespoonful of flour which has been mixed with a little cold milk, cook eight minutes, season well with pepper and salt. Take one quart of oysters after having drained through a colander and set on stove to heat, put a layer of crumbs into the croustade, then one of cream and next one of oysters and continue this until the croustade is nearly full, having the last layer a thick one of crumbs; bake slowly half an hour, serve with a garnish of parsley.

Mt. Vernon Cook Book, Second Edition, 1908, Thompson Company Printers, Carthage, Mo.