You may also like
Categories:
bacon white wine oysters butter onion celery leeks flour milk cream thyme lemon juice salt sauce white bread scallions
Viewed: 64 - Published at: 6 years agoIngredients
- 2 strips thick-sliced bacon (preferably applewood-smoked), diced
- 1/4 cup white wine or vermouth
- 1 pint shucked oysters, drained and rinsed
- 1 tablespoon butter, plus softened butter for spreading
- 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
- 1/4 cup finely chopped celery
- 23 leeks, washed and thinly sliced (about 1 cup) (see technique for cleaning leeks, p. 109)
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1/2 cup cream
- 1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme or sage
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- Salt and pepper
- Hot sauce
- 4 thick slices (1/2 inch) good-quality white bread or brioche, halved into triangles
- Minced scallions or snipped fresh chives, for garnish
Method
- In a large skillet, cook the bacon until crispy.
- Transfer it to a plate topped with paper towels, then drain the skillet of all but 1 tablespoon fat; set the skillet aside.
- Heat the white wine in a medium skillet over medium-high heat.
- When it starts to simmer, add the oysters and poach just until the edges start to curl, about 4 minutes (reduce the heat if the simmer gets too lively).
- Drain the oysters in a fine colander placed over a large bowl, reserving the poaching liquid.
- Reheat the skillet with bacon fat over medium-high heat and add the 1 tablespoon butter.
- When the foaming subsides, add the onion, celery, and leeks and cook until fragrant and softened, 34 minutes.
- Sprinkle the vegetables with flour, then whisk in the reserved oyster poaching liquid.
- Simmer over medium heat, continuously whisking, for 3 minutes.
- Add the milk, cream, and herb and bring to a boil.
- Reduce the heat and simmer gently until thickened and creamy, about 5 minutes.
- Add the lemon juice and salt, pepper, and hot sauce to taste.
- When the sauce is thick enough to coat a spoon, remove it from the heat and keep warm.
- Toast the bread; spread with softened butter and place it on a platter or individual plates.
- Stir the oysters into the sauce and warm through, over low heat.
- To serve, spoon the oysters over the toast and sprinkle with bacon.
- Top with green onions or chives, if desired.
- Ive eaten oysters all over the world.
- When it comes to slurping them raw, from the half shell, I love oysters from the Pacific (like the Japanese varieties), because they taste briny, like the ocean.
- But when it comes to cooking, nothing beats Louisiana oysters.
- They come from the brackish waters where the salt water of the Gulf mingles with the fresh water of the bayou and rivers, so they have a milder flavor that blends better with other ingredients.
- Because Louisiana oysters are larger, theyre less likely to overcook in a poaching pan.
- I may be biased, but I definitely think theyre the most versatile oysters in the kitchen.
- For my favorite sources, see p. 384.
