[gsquared]

My daughter phoned. She and son-in-law will be coming around for lunch on Sunday. "We'll bring a bottle of Pol Roget (raised the kid well!!) and a few dozen fresh oysters. You can fix something for us with the oysters, can't you?"
"Sure - no problem"
Yeah - right. BIG problem. I hate raw oysters (call me a philistine). I am not going to try not to grimace and eat the buggers raw. I will have to cook them. I have never done this before. Please note that I am an eclectic eater, but my two blind spots are oysters and the intestines of mammals.
I can delve into my library or the Internet, and am sure to come up with a myriad recipes, but I do not have a feel for this, and would rather not experiment.
Can anybody who has done this before help? Please?

 

[anneke]

Oysters in Muscat
24 large oysters
1 shallot, minced
black pepper
2/3 cup (5 oz) Beaume de Venise muscat
1 tbsp finely snipped chives
1/3 cup (3 oz) thick crème fraiche
2 tbsp butter

Shuck the oysters reserving their liquor.
Striain liquor into a 9" nonstick pan.
Add shallots and pepper. Bring to boil.
Add wine and creme fraiche.
As soon as it returns to a boil, put in the oysters.
Simmer for 10 seconds. Turn over, simmer another 5.
Divide among 4 warmed plates.
Boil the sauce to reduce by half.
Whisk in the butter.
Strain sauce over the oysters. Sprinkle with chives.

Add pepper before eating.
Accompany with wholemeal toast and sweet butter.

THIS RECIPE ROCKS!!! It convinced my husband to marry me.

 

[alexia]

Wow, what an oyster stew! I can't wait to try it.

 

[gsquared]

How can I resist that, Anneke! The Beaume de Venise muscat is a sweet white, right? I would have to substitute something else - to get the sweetness right, would it fall into the German category of Auslese or Beerenauslese?

 

[anneke]

Yup, it's definitely a sweet white. I'm sure a sweet German would do fine. Just make sure it's one that will stay nice and mellow when you reduce it. Ask Cape Chef for a substitue.

 

[athenaeus]

Anneke's recipe is a classical for oysters! Very popular around Mediterranean

Well I am a bit against Muscat. I think Muscat and creme fraiche are too much in the same dish BUT this is just personal taste.
In fact I do not use the creme fraiche at all although some other people I know do.
You can play with the wines GS. This is a delicate dish and your guests will enjoy it very much!

 

[cape chef]

GS,

Annekes recipe is beautiful and extremly elegant.

If you are willing to cook with a BA good for you, it would be quite exceptional with the oysters....also the flinty/sweet herbal notes will be very happy with Sir Winston Churchill. If you can come by a bottle of Weissherbst, try that as well....not the $$$ of a BA but very unique, as it has been effected with botrytis

 

[kimmie]

Whoa Anneke! No wonder he married you!

 

[gsquared]

Thanks, CC. I had a quick look in my wine racks - I have two choices, a Cape Late Harvest (Auslese) and a Cape Noble Late Harvest (Botrytis). The Late Harvest has residual sugar of 20g/l and the Noble Late Harvest 55. (By law a botrytis wine to be marketed as such must be >50 and harvested at 28deg Balling). If I use the latter, should I reduce, because of the increased sugar content, the quantity of wine in Anneke's recipe, you think?

 

[athenaeus]

Just for your archive GSquare I send you a recipe for oysters from the first cook book that was published in modern Greece in 1828
The recipe is very easy and the author gives some variations. One of the variations include the muscat wine

PS
What will you serve for dessert? Muscat granita maybe ?

" Baked Oysters ( according to Germans)

Take as many oysetrs as you wish, open them, remove them from both sides of their shell and place them in the most curved shell.
Chop finely 1 spring of celery, some thyme and some bread crumbs. Bring those ingredients together with a tea spoon of olive oil.
Top the oysters with a small amount of this mixture.
15 minutes before lunch time place them in the oven . Serve warm.

If you want to prepare those oysters the way Spaniards do, add 2-3 drops of lemon juice in the mixture and cover each piece with the other part of the oyster's shell.
If you want to prepare them the way Russians do , instead of lemon add 4 drops of muscat wine.
If you want them the English way you add 4 drops of cherry liquer or 2 drops of cherry and 2 of rum.
Enjoy "

 

[cape chef]

GS,

I think either "edelfaule" would work beautifully, seeing Anneke's recipe calls for 5 oz of Muscat..I would recommend using 4 oz of one of your late harvest wines and subbing with 1 oz of champange to balance (or vermouth).

Don't over analize this dish, as it seems it's simplicity in preparation is the key.

Athenaues,

Thanks for sharing those recipes....

I love the little variances between countries
cc

 

[zouzouni]

what does
"shuck the oysters" mean?

zouzouni

 

[cape chef]

zouzouni...

To "shuck" an oyster, is to "Open" an oyster

Oysters and clams have a specific type of knife to use to pry them open

 

[zouzouni]

thank you CC...now I can try the recipe, I'll know how to start it!

BTW, what does your signature mean, if I may ask?



z.

 

[cape chef]

Baruch is my hebrew name, it means blessed, Rueven is my father and Chana in my mother..

Baruch ben Rueven and Chana

Brad, the son of Raymond and Helene

 

[athenaeus]

Now cape chef, ask what does zouzouni mean

 

[gsquared]

Report back on the oysters.
You recipe is abso-bloomin-lutely great, Anneke. (Standing applause)
The only change we made was to server it with fresh baguettes - worked great for sopping up the sauce! The consensus around the table from those who previously insisted that oysters should only be eaten raw, was that this is by far better.
A prime example of a simple recipe that works. Thanks again.